June Darby
by FanficFanatic13
Summary: An AU to my work "Being Human." June Darby is captured by Megatron after he fakes her death in front of the Autobots. Now with technology guaranteed to work, he decides it is time to expand their horizons and test the limits of what the Decepticons can achieve. Three Cybertronians were conceived, now they will try something new: a Predacon.
1. Prologue

**JUNE DARBY**

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

 **I was genuinely shocked by the number of people who suggested/hypothesized that June would be turned into a Predacon after her capture. The scenario never really occurred to me while I was creating "Being Human", yet a surprising amount of you guys were chattering about how it could be a possibility. So I decided to write out a plot and see where it took me. And here we are.**

 **Thank you guys so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this AU!**

 **•** **•** **•**

 **" _Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."_**

 _ **~ Mary W. Shelley, Frankenstein**_

 **•** **•** **•**

"Shockwave."

The scientist paused in his work at his master's verbal appeal, tilting his helm to indicate he was listening. The scientist rarely enjoyed being interrupted, and for something as important as documenting Project Predacon he found it rather annoying. Yet he would not disappoint his lord, nor protest his tendency to disrupt the him mid-thought.

"Yes, lord Megatron?"

The silver titan approached, initially remaining silent. His optics wandered over the screen, drinking in the information provided for him. His servos remained clasped behind his back, a nonverbal indication of his relaxation and trust toward the Decepticon scientist.

"As you are aware, I have acquired a fourth human; a matured female adult," he paused, optics flickering to his subordinate. "I understand it was not initially in your plans, as we anticipated the transition from human to Predacon would be too much for adolescent minds; yet what do you make of a fully functional, developed cognitive centerpiece?"

Shockwave tilted his helm, one eye gazing at Megatron whilst he thought. Maturation was not the only concern when they considered putting the littlest one into a Predacon frame - it was also the resilience of the mind which needed to be taken into account. A much more primitive, beastly processor would not be able to accommodate all of the higher functions a human brain had. Though it would make sense that a less-developed brain would be easiest to transfer, the scientist hypothesized quite the opposite. Immature cerebros tended to hold on to information more firmly; it was not willing to dump "unnecessary" material like an adult mind was. If the mind could cope with losing some otherwise necessary functions - such as speech, complex planning and strategizing - then the transition to a Predacon processor would be easy.

Though the revelation that was Predaking came as a surprise. It twisted his hypothesis on its head and perhaps rendered it null and void. Clearly, Predacons were capable of speech, but that was due to their evolution. Predaking had to evolve before he could speak, transform, and consciously make connections. Therefore, he assumed his initial hypothesis was correct, but only within a certain time period. If a human consciousness was transferred to a Predacon body, it may still do the necessary purging of cluttering files, and instead build from the ground up once more as the body evolved and the creature gained complex sentience.

"Should my hypothesis prove correct," the scientist finally spoke, choosing his words carefully and speaking slowly. "Then I believe the human's consciousness could survive the transplantation. But, to build another body would take time and resources we do not have at our disposal."

"What of the Predacons in your off-site laboratory?" Megatron questioned. "Surely there is one you are willing to . . . Let slip away quietly. Once the spark is extinguished the body will be vacated of all consciousness, and ready for a new spark - or mind - to be put into it."

"We would still run into the problem of the spark," Shockwave noted, though everything else his master had said was logical. "It would require another transplant, and the three you have entrusted to our experimentations have donated. Another could potentially kill the donor, experiments, or both."

Megatron tapped his claws together, an almost nervous habit. "And I would prefer Starscream did not have a beast from which he could potentially gain control of," he growled, thinking out loud. "Is it possible to generate a cataclysm within the spark chamber in order to, ah, 'jump start' it, to put ineloquently? Naturally, the spark requires some alterations, but with a large and already lab-grown specimen the process should be extraordinarily simplified, yes?"

Shockwave tilted his helm. "That would seem most logical," he agreed. He allowed for a moment of though, mentally sorting through his Predacons. Certainly there was one runt out of the lot. "Very well. I will select the best candidate for this operation. The human is femme, correct?"

"Correct," Megatron tilted his helm. "Will that affect our resident Autobot Hunter?"

"Clones are born sterile," Shockwave answered indirectly. "Therefore, any mating or courting instincts he may have had are repressed. She will be the same way."

"Excellent," Megatron touched his shoulder plating. "I expect only the finest of work from you, Shockwave. Send regular updates to Soundwave and report on your progress in a timely manner."

The order was unnecessary, as Shockwave did all of those things regardless, but it was done for formality's sake. "Yes, my liege." He turned back to his computers as Megatron exited the lab, digits slipping onto the keys and beginning to type. A plan was already formulating in his helm, and he generated a specific data file within his processor to store all of his thoughts and ideas. The femme would need to be tamed, but that, he felt, would be the least of his problems.

It was her _humanity_ that was a cause for concern.


	2. Chapter One: Transformation

**CHAPTER ONE | TRANSFORMATION**

* * *

 **"We are all butterflies. Earth is our chrysalis."**

 **~Lee Ann Taylor**

 **•** **•** **•**

June Darby tilted her head back, resting it against the side of the tub as she took a few selfish minutes to relish the warm water. It would be absolutely miserable, stepping out and being kissed by the harsh, cold air, but she postponed the feeling for a little longer.

It was nice to be clean after several days of walking around in her own filth. Another several hours and she probably would have requested they at least allowed her to go somewhere and shower herself clean, as well as put on new clothes. She must have stunk, or something, because Knock Out had unceremoniously plucked her out of her cell and brought her here about fifteen minutes ago.

"Are you done in there?" _Speaking of which._

"Almost," she snapped back, glaring at the curtain where the red mech was standing. "I'm still washing my hair."

A lie, but it was not like the Decepticon was going to check - she hoped. Taking a deep breath before sinking below the surface she gave herself another vigorous scrub before resurfacing and slipping out of the water, shivering violently. Her teeth chattered while her skin was relentlessly assaulted by the cold air, the woman drying herself off quickly before dressing in fresh clothes.

"Finally," her babysitter muttered when she emerged from behind the curtain, picking her up none-too-gently and carrying her to another table within the laboratory. There, he set her down on the countertop and pulled out various food items and water bottles, grimacing when a digit tip nicked the side of a crate.

"That is just perfect," he muttered to no one in particular, focusing on the imperfection whilst the prisoner ate. His blood red optics watched her once he decided the digit tip could be fixed, huffing and scowling.

June finished as quickly as she could without throwing up or feeling too sick, standing.

"I'm ready to go back," she announced, confused when all she received was a snort.

"Lord Megatron has requested an audience with you; you will not be returning to that cell any time soon." The vague reply sent chills down her spine, the human gasping and squirming when smooth servos plucked her from the countertop without warning. Her blue eyes narrowed, and she glared at the mech.

"What do you mean?" She demanded. "What could he possibly want? We haven't had a conversation in _days!"_

"Don't know, really don't care." Knock Out quipped back. "I certainly wouldn't want a private audience with my master and our resident psychopath."

 _Shockwave._ The goosebumps from before seemed tame in comparison to the ones she now sported. _What could they possibly want with me?_

A horrible thought came to her head. _No. No. No._

 _They are going to experiment on me. Just like they did with Jack._

Horrifically, she did not know if the idea was appealing, or repulsive.

Their trip down the halls seemed all too short, a hundred different scenarios, each one more horrible than the last, running through June's head.

"One human femme, specially delivered," Knock Out purred as he opened the door to the intimidating forms of Megatron and Shockwave. The silver warmonger focused on the human in his CMO's servos, silently extending a servo. The moment the requested human fell into his palm, clawed digits closed around her as a cage, trapping her inside like an animal.

"Very good, Knock Out. Dismissed." Megatron turned away from the medic, missing his disappointed look. There was a long pause, the medic daring to speak again when he realized what resided within the laboratory.

"My liege, I do not mean to question your judgement, but I believe my expertise is required to run . . . _that,_ " June could not see what he was gesturing too, Megatron keeping her trapped and in the dark in his servo. It was suffocating, and increasingly uncomfortable, the tips of his digits threatening to slice open any exposed flesh that dared to come across it.

"Knock Out's observation is logical, but unnecessary," Shockwave added in his own two cents. "I am very much capable of running the neuron refractor myself."

"And you are certain you may not need a doctor to witness and stand by for emergencies?" Knock Out pressed. The human woman wondered if it was because he truly believed he was necessary, or if he was just wanting to stay and later gossip about what would go on in this room.

 _What was going on?_ Certainly there was a body for her to be transferred into, or perhaps there was another abhorrent machine the Decepticons were going to do to amplify her misery. Frustratingly, her living cage restricted her view of the room.

"Perhaps, but as you may have noticed, Knock Out, we have limited space within this laboratory. And it would be quite difficult to save your pitiful chassis if the resulting experiment were to wake up and go on a rampage," Megatron countered, his patience wearing thin. "Unless I was mistaken, and you are impartial to the damage of your finish?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Then I will, ah, be right outside the door, in case I am needed," the medic chuckled nervously, June hearing the door open than close when Knock Out skittered away.

It was then Megatron unfurled his claws, inspecting his prisoner. She was looking a little thin, much paler, but she would soon leave the confines of such a fragile body. Though it gave him a touch of anger to notice her mistreatment, he resolved himself by believing that Soundwave would have intervened had the third in command noticed their valuable prisoner's denaturing.

"Shockwave, is the experiment ready?" He tore his gaze away from her, looking towards the scientist.

"All we require is the human," the Decepticon confirmed.

June attempted to stand up on shaking, wobbly legs, crying out when Megatron began to walk and threw off her sense of balance, sending her back to his palm.

"What are you doing to me?" She demanded, fingers gripping the groves within his metal hand. "Why am I here? I won't consent to any insanity you have planned!"

"We do not require your _consent_ , Ms. Darby," Megatron sneered, her heart seizing in her chest. "Merely some . . . _Coerced cooperation_. You will do as we say regardless, however I strongly advise you resist as little as possible."

Shockwave moved, allowing Megatron to tilt his palm and dump her onto the metal table. The human fell on her hands and knees, quickly standing up and glaring at the two Cybertronians, realizing just how uncomfortably close they were to each other. Her blue eyes found the source of the discomfort - the room was inexplicably smaller than normal.

She looked at the odd, extra _thing_ in the room, starting to recognize what looked like complicated joints and armor pieces, her eyes finding the back end, which tapered down to a sharp tail. Turning her body she was able to see that the "thing" circled all the way around to her, spinning around to see a thick, broad neck that sloped and ended abruptly with the introduction of an intricate head, one adorned with sharp horns that slid down gracefully to mate with jaw pieces, the creature's mouth ajar and possessing several sharp teeth. What was unnerving, and what made her stomach flip-flop, was the lack of any life in the optics.

"What . . . _is_ that?" She asked, horrified that she may already know the answer.

"That, June Darby," Megatron purred, "is your new _body._ "

The woman screamed as a servo gripped her waist, the smooth and precise digits belonging only to one being, Shockwave flipping her around and pressing her against the table, energon bands snaking out around her wrists and ankles, trapping her. She fought and writhed, feeling hot tears run down her cheeks as she struggled.

"Please, don't do this," she gasped. "You have already taken the kids! Was that not enough?" Despite the possibility that she would have agreed to the experimentation for the sake of Jack, in the heat of the moment, with the Decepticons looming over her like a threat and giving her no choice on the matter, her brain instinctually kicked into survival mode. Fighting was impossible - flight was necessary. She needed to escape.

"Our experiment had yet to be tried on a human and Predacon interface," Shockwave sounded so casual about the twisted experiment. "It was only logical you would become the step in that direction."

"The pain will be temporary," Megatron added with faux comfort, his servos clasping behind his broad frame and optics returning to his inferior. "Shockwave, you may begin the procedure."

A flick of a button was June's only warning before something _blinding_ flooded her vision, a migraine exploding behind her temples. The human thought she could hear herself scream, yet the observation vanished within moments of appearing, her consciousness swiftly dissipating into darkness.


	3. Chapter Two: Consciousness

**CHAPTER TWO | CONSCIOUSNESS**

 _ **"We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself."**_

 _ **~ Brian Cox**_

 **•** **•** **•**

 _Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!_

Her body writhed and a screech erupted from her vocalizers as pain radiated from her chest, threating to rip her apart and kill her. It felt as if an explosion occured within her spark, a fireball swallowing it whole and radiating through the rest of her body. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could sense shoving herself against a wall and twisting around, thrashing in an attempt to escape.

Something foreign pressed itself against her at the ventral base of her helm, shoving her to the floor and keeping her still, wrapping around her neck and squeezing with discomforting force. She fought against it and the pain, panic bubbling in her mind whilst she tried to understand. With each passing second the pain started to fade, and in response her body eventually stilled and relaxed against the ground. The pressure at her neck ceased and muffled tones filtered into her audio receptors, starting to become clearer while her thoughts remained somewhat muddled, attempting to sort out exactly what happened.

 _It's dark. Why is there darkness?_

A fleeting thought of her once knowing light passed through her processor and disappeared, leaving her even more confused. She reached out, attempted to snatch it, but the idea was gone, all that was left was the concept of light; the opposing force to what surrounded her now.

 _Have I always known darkness? What is this light?_

Finally she became aware of her optics, onlining them and hissing as _light_ blinded her, searing her sensors. A part of her recognized the sensation, shuttering them again as pain made her processor ache. Moving her helm her orientation systems began to read external information, finding that she was, currently, belly-up. Shifting her bulk and rolling onto her clawed pedes her armor rippled and affixed itself to her hide. Her very first ventilation came and went for several seconds, her optics flickering back on with a shake of her helm.

The room she occupied was clautsrophobically small, the presence of two _others_ not making things any better. Gazing upon them her optics trailed from one to the next, taking in their odd and otherworldly appearances. They resided on two legs - odd - and stood tall, like . . . buildings.

 _What are buildings?_ The question remained unanswered within her processor, yet the femme knew she should understand what a "building" was. It bothered her that there was no clear answer, her attention to this detail eventually disrupted by her environment.

She felt trapped, unable to find an escape within this tiny enclosure, however she found there was nothing threatening about the situation. The femme was easily one and a half times as big, if not a little more, than the largest of the two creatures. Should they attack, even as one, she could easily overpower them.

Shaking her bulk she fixed her partially skewed armor pieces - courtesy of her rolling on the floor - and took in the details of the room. Her gaze fell on the bright screens first, watching as lines scrawled across them in an odd fashion. They were not connected lines, but symbols, dancing across the screens. How she was aware of what a screen was or the purpose of this technology escaped her. She was unused to this, yet knew exactly what it was.

 _Language._

"She is exhibiting high levels of intelligence," the voice of one of the _others_ brought her attention back to them, the femme slinking around the room so she could better assess them, taking in their sizes and analyzing the weaponry they carried. To put their canons on open display was foolish, as it immediately demonstrated their greatest strengths - and weaknesses. "Her mannerisms suggest understanding, and not mere curiosity."

Though her audio receptors picked up on the strange words she could not quite put them together. They were recognizable, as if she had known of the language before, yet her mind could not attach definitions or syntax rules to the vocals.

"What would be the best test for her _memory?"_ The silver titan questioned, looking toward his smaller companion.

"Humans and Cybertronians have high affinities for their names. I would expect she recognize it, or at the very least express familiarity with it, should the repressors function correctly. Most of her memory functions should be turned off - leaving no choice but for her mind to delete the unecessary data - but because memory is not exclusive to one area of the human cerebral cortex, she may retain some sensations."

The Predacon femme tilted her helm, optics focused on the _other_ that was speaking. Her mind attempted to latch on to a sound, a word, and make sense of it, but the language remained elusive, seeming to dance mockingly past her. Curiously she shifted again, extending her neck slowly toward them. When she noticed the largest of the two bristle his armor in warning she paused, sinking a little lower and trying to remain unintimidating. Her sensitive olfactory sensors picked up on the odd scents of the _others_ , unsure how to interpret them.

They were strange creatures, yet she recognized them, distinguishing their faces and body types without much effort despite the fact she was aware they were completely different species. Various sparks of fleeting information ignited in her processor, small "ah-ha" moments which proved shallow and disuseful. She did not know these creatures' names, where they came from, who they were, only that she knew she knew them.

The biggest _other_ slowly lowered his armor and extended a servo. "June," he beckoned.

Her helm perked ever so slightly, the noise sounding very familiar to her.

 _Me. My designation is June._

Her tail undulated, swishing back and forth between curled and uncurled, carefully approaching the _other_ that called to her, recognizing his servo as unfriendly. But his expression and posture suggested that of a friend, a master, a kind superior who treated her with the respect she deserved.

"Fascinating," the other _other_ noted as her helm slowly ducked under the waiting servo of her master, a soft purr rumbling in her chest as the careful digits of a killer ran down her armor pieces, traveling down the side of her helm and tracing the underwiring there before settling underneath her chin. "The supressors have kept her from remembering her organic form, yet she is not, as the humans would refer to it, _tablua rasa_. The instincts of her Predacon shell have remained."

June shuttered her optics, enjoying the personal attention despite the cramped space. Every word went straight over her helm, though she could sense that the _others_ were interested in her. Their scents were noticeably foreign, alien even. The large one was most certainly the commander, waves of superiority rolling off of his frame with even the most minute of movements. The other, she felt, was of some importance, given he was able to stand so close to the large _other_ without intimidation or punishment. His scent . . . gave off no emotional readings, no indications of his feelings or even personal thoughts. To her, that was unnatural, and spoke of untold dangers.

"There is something I want to test first, before we attempt to introduce her to the other Predacon," Shockwave spoke to Megatron, noticing how her audio receptor fins twitched slightly in response to the species name. "A measure of self-awareness that is incredibly simplistic."

His master nodded, servo lightly scraping beneath June's chin before returning to his side. "Proceed," he commanded, red optics never leaving that of the new Predacon's. She seemed unintimidated by him, but she clearly knew he was command. That was most satisfactory, and true to her original human character. While he would have preferred she kept her mannerisms and personality, it was simply too dangerous to allow her to be fully aware of her previous life while in such a large form. It would have been a waste to put down such a beautiful creature mere _moments_ after her creation.

Shockwave carefully stepped around the Predacon, though she only twitched slightly in response, his servo briefly caressing her hide in quiet self-exultation. Wisely, she slipped past Megatron and reoriented herself so both Cybertronians remained in her line of sight, the warlord not minding as she circled around him. It was satisfactory to find that she could easily be his protector, and he rewarded her by gently rubbing the top of her helm.

His scientist carefully, and slowly, opened a compartment and pulled out a mirror, ensuring his digits did not accidentally scratch the surface as he set it on the nearest wall. June watched him curiously, wondering what he was doing.

"June," the scientist called much like Megatron did. "Come to me."

The Predacon paused only briefly before she approached the Decepticon, Megatron watching with some amusement as her tail scraped by him, taking the opportunity to observe the sharp and deadly end. It mirrored Predaking's to an extent, though the design was more splayed out, surprisingly out of place with the rest of her lithe body.

Shockwave stepped aside so that June could see herself within the mirror, preparing himself should she prove unawares and attempt to attack her own reflection.

Instead, she stopped and stared, tilting her helm to the left and right, observing her body the best she could within the limited mirror space. It was not out of vanity or typical femme reasons, this was the first time she had seen herself. A part of her knew it was natural to see herself in this manner, aware that it was almost ritualistic to see oneself on occasion. Her optics were blue, though occasional sickly yellow tinges flared around her pupils, though it was painless and she paid it no heed. Her body was an interesting green color, very much like . . .

 _Lizard._

The word came and went faster than she could fully comprehend, though it seemed natural to just allow it to linger, and then quietly slip away. Instead of dwelling on it, she spread the wings she realized she had, though they could not go very far, as one was close to hitting the _other_ and the second the wall. The frame was a slightly deeper green, the stretched wing membrane creme-colored and untorn, having yet to be exposed to the ravages of the wind.

 _Dragon._

"She seems very self aware," Shockwave noted, his one eye looking towards Megatron, though her bulk concealed most of the warlord. "She is taking inventory of her physical state."

"Excellent," Megatron was extremely pleased with this result. "Ensure she does not require energon, and then we will see how she reacts to our resident Predacon. I will instruct Starscream to prepare the beast."

"As you wish, my liege," the Decepticon scientist dared to reach out and touch her snout, only slightly surprised she did not react by attempting to bite his servo off. Her temperament was calm and tender, not incredibly hunter-like. He supposed he only had himself to blame; the Predacon clone he had chosen for her was renowned for her maternal instincts, what he thought was fitting for this particular human. She would serve well as a companion, if not a fellow Autobot hunter, to Predaking.


	4. Chapter Three: First Encounters

**CHAPTER THREE | FIRST ENCOUNTERS**

* * *

 _ **"Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Usually, when it will have the greatest impact on our lives."**_

 _ **~Nadia Scrieva, Fathoms of Forgiveness**_

 **•** **•** **•**

Knock Out had thought it was a horrible idea to keep Shockwave alone with his new Predacon - though Starscream thought it was a _fantastic_ plan - in an enclosed space, yet the medic digressed. He fetched the energon cube the scientist requested and took a moment to behold the Predacon femme, intimidated by her size and noticeable awareness, though he was assured she was no longer "human" in the psychological sense.

The first indication that the Predacon had retained her "sensations" of memory was her initial recoil of the supposedly toxic substance within the cube. But with a flash of yellow in her optics the fear was quelled. A part of her urged to drink, her body requiring the vitalizing liquid, instincts eventually making it easy for her to swallow the energon as it touched her glossa.

 _I am drinking like a dog._

The thought floated away before she realized what she had compared herself to. Where had that thought come from?

She settled, ignoring the discomfort. If she had no idea what it was, she should not bother trying to figure out. Eventually the feeling dissipated as her tanks filled with energon and her body felt much more energized. Unlike the typical, evolved Cybertronian, June did not receive highly sophisticated updates and status reports on her body's condition; as a Predacon, she merely used her instilled common senses to determine if she had consumed enough energon to maintain efficient levels of power.

Once Shockwave determined the femme was finished, he gave Megatron a brief ping, waiting patiently for an update on whether or not Predaking had been briefed on the situation and the scientist's own instructions from there. They had decided that the Predacon need not know how June's body came about; he would certainly see it as some kind of monstrosity or violation of a once proud species.

It was only five kliks before Megatron arrived at the laboratory doors, his dark red optics gazing at June before focusing on his scientist.

"Starscream has prepared our resident Predacon to meet our newest addition," the warlord rumbled. "You will be in charge of keeping the peace between your Autobot hunter and the former human."

"As I have the most experience, that would seem most logical," Shockwave agreed, and carefully prodded June, prompting her to leave the laboratory and follow them to the flight deck.

As a security measure Soundwave attended the transportation of the femme Predacon, locking down all unnecessary areas of the ship and keeping his remote Groundbridge generator warmed up should anything go awry. The precautions proved obsolete, as Megatron easily commanded the beast as if she was some sort of pet. His master seemed to have established some sort of mutual understanding with the creature, and though Shockwave hypothesized a potential imprintation, too little was known of the creatures to confirm if such a thing existed. For all they knew, June merely acknowledged their master as some sort of Alpha, which would in turn cause her to instinctually submit to his commands.

Starscream waited at the door of the original Predacon's kennel, shock prod in servo. He was clearly jealous to see his superior comandeer a beast effortlessly and gracefully, though he kept his personal thoughts to himself. When June was situated at the end of the flight deck, tens of Earth feet away from Predaking's home, he prepared to open the kennel.

June was obviously oblivious to the other Predacon, though her olfactories could pick up his faint scent along the deck. The stratosphere of the Earth had mostly stripped the scent away, and as such she found no threat in the faded smell. Not like she should have had a reaction regardless - the femme was completely unaware that others like her could exist. Her initial exposure had been with the Cybertronians, and though she understood they were different it did not prompt her to think that she was not unique.

There was a brief moment of confusion when she sensed her master and his compatriots back away from her, and the door to the kennel opened. Remaining ever so calm, she did not seem at all perturbed when the Predacon slinked from his enclosure, growling at Starscream for good measure before removing his entire body. Instead, her helm tilted and tail twitched slightly, assessing the situation and deciding on what she wanted to do.

Shockwave stood in the middle of the flight deck, but off to the side so as not to obstruct the two Predacon's views of one another. The idea was that, in the presence of their creator, the Predacons would be a little more calm with one another.

When the Predacon's scent hit June's olfactory sensors her mind reeled, confused and flabbergasted by how familiar and yet foreign it was to her. She did not know this Predacon, yet he struck a chord within her chassis. But what made her confused more than anything was the air of _alpha_ he had around him. The large other had the same kind of scent, though it was not as powerful in her nose.

Yet she rejected such a notion. The _other_ was clearly in control, as he kept this one locked in a cage, and had authority over him. Had it been vice versa she would have reconsidered her stance on the matter, but the information and facts presented to her proved it false.

There was a long, tense silence as the two regarded each other, the larger male clearly recognizing the frame of the femme - a clone just like him - yet there was something . . . strange about her. The way she held herself was odd, and it almost seemed to irk him that she did not immediately reveal her underside to him. He was not affecting her actions or urges to submit to a higher power in the slightest. Predaking would have expected his kingly-ness to, at the very least, prompt a bow from her; but the femme refused to even sink lower than her current stance.

Starscream and Megatron had already told the Predacon how to behave; they needed this new Predacon to, for the time being, believe him to be just like her - merely a beast. They were unsure how she would react to an "evolved" Predacon, and thus decided this was the best course of action. Predaking suspected they wanted to keep this new Predacon ignorant, but he kept his thoughts to himself for the time being. The truth, he felt, would reveal itself in time.

Surprisingly, June made the first move, slowly slinking closer, though she stopped at the midway point. Knock Out cocked an optic ridge and looked at his lord, but wisely did not say anything out loud. If a noise startled or angered one of the Predacons, it would ruin a potentially successfuly meeting.

The large Predacon - easily another one-half the size of June - eventually moved as well, his shoulder plates rippling with each calculated step. His instincts told him she was unordinary, perhaps even dangerous. Yet she remained relaxed, her plating flat and only her gaze curious and analytical. She was _intelligent_.

When he got close enough to take in her scent he paused, allowing it to fill his nostrils. His plating, which had been tense and slightly flared, relaxed, and his tail even swished a bit in response to the pleasant feeling that unwound his tense muscle cables. Slinking closer he sniffed at her neck, knowing she was doing the same to him, his processor lighting up as a familiar baseline scent hit him, prompting him to nuzzle her side in a comforting manner.

Quick as a flash her body snaked back, her armor up in full attack response, maw opening and a vicious hiss erupting in the back of her throat.

 _"Do not touch!"_

The Predacon immediately slinked back, confused and a bit perturbed, his optics narrowing as he hissed in return. How _dare_ she -

"Uh, should we do something?" Knock Out squeaked to his superior, who merely looked on with a careful gaze.

"Shockwave will be the judge of that," he rumbled, though his canon was noticeably warmer against his arm. His optics remained trained on the pair, prepared to break up a fight despite the fact they were both significantly larger than him.

June continued to warn the male to stay back, something about his snout against her hide not sitting well within her gut. The _others_ were allowed to touch and caress, most likely because she understood her place with them. But him, this creature who was very much the same as her, she did not want to initiate herself into a ranking until she was certain she knew where he stood amongst the _others_.

"Behave, the both of you," Shockwave commanded, taking a step forward. He approached the male first, having known him longer and certain that an agitated June would not appreciate any attempts to put her off-guard. His servo reached out and he rested it against Predaking's neck, stroking his rusted orange side carefully to soothe him. He could feel the heat of the catalyst reactors within his chest, waiting to be mixed and produce his fire.

June watched the _other_ touch the Predacon gently, grazing his side just like they did with her. Her plating dropped ever so slightly, yet the message was clear: she was not to be commanded nor considered a part of this Predacon. Something within her told her independence was more satisfactory than allowing another - especially a mech - to become central to her life.

"June," her optics focused on the other, noticing his outstretched servo. "Come to me."

She saw it click in the Predacon's optics, how her designation was June, giving him yet another unamused look before she obeyed the _other_ , allowing him to touch her snout.

 _"Creator,"_ the male Predacon rumbled, pleased with the affection. June focused on the _other_ , _Creator_ , realizing he too must have made her, as it was logical to assume that if he could make one, he could certainly construct another.

Predaking regarded her as Shockwave touched her snout. Though he prided himself in his autonomy he did admit that the touches of their creator were calming and most welcome. She was much like him, he decided; originally primitive and naive, eventually he hoped this June would eventually find her true potential. The idea of the two becoming a pair did not cross his processor, as the King considered all his bretheren to be his equals.

The two Predacons at least calmed for now, Megatron powered down his canon and approached, ignoring Knock Out's tiny squeak of protest as he did so. Shockwave gazed at him.

"I would venture to say this meeting was a partial success," the warlord rumbled. "It appears they are . . . reluctant acquaintances." A smirk carefully worked its way across his faceplates. "At least, that is what June has established."

"I believe they simply must become accustomed to one another," Shockwave guessed. "Considering they knew of only us before meeting one another. I would suggest allowing them their separate kennels, and given time on the flight deck together with supervision."

"Then it shall be done," Megatron extended a servo. "June."

The Decepticon leader relished how quickly she attended to him, slipping over to his side without question and wrapping herself around him, keeping the other Predacon in her sights but also allowing Megatron to rest his servo against her helm. It seemed she knew exactly who her one true master was.

Megatron grinned. He had been needing another unquestionable loyal subordinate for some time. She and Soundwave would get along splendidly.

Predaking glowered, but no one seemed to be watching. Though he had professed loyalty to the Decepticon leader, he did not like this subliminal challenge. More than anything, Predaking wanted to be the leader of his own band of Predacons, and serve with them alongside of Megatron. If the lord and master of this vessel ended up exerting control over them like he currently was with June, there would be problems. Problems, Predaking decided, that would need to be solved the old-fashioned way - with a fight.


	5. Chapter Four: Assault

**CHAPTER FOUR | ASSAULT**

 **To be honest, I've re-written this chapter about three times now and am still unhappy with it, but it is going in the direction I want, so hopefully you guys still enjoy it! I feel like the middle part is weak, and there are areas that I just cannot seem to get right . . . but, I will let ya'll be the judge of that.**

* * *

 _ **"Things you don't need in your life targets you the most."**_

 _ **~Michael B. Johnson, Master of Maximus**_

 **•** **•** **•**

"I understand my ability to transform was kept secret in order to allow our newest addition to transition easily into her new way of life, however I am curious; does she possess the same ability?" Predaking questioned, slinking down the halls with his master.

"Whether or not June is capable of transformation remains to be seen," Megatron answered. "You took several days to gain full sentience and learn of this ability yourself. It is best if we allow June to rise to such levels on her own; to give her too much stimulation could result in unprecedented, undesired consequences."

Predaking nodded, his servos clasped behind his massive back, pressing his wings down in the process. "Shockwave informed me that . . . June was created in a similar manner to the other human experiments. And yet she bears an incredible resemblance to a Predacon femme I knew from long ago."

Megatron waved a clawed servo. "Any resemblances are merely coincidental," he was not about to explain to Predaking that they had essentially desecrated a clone's body for the purpose. "When a human consciousness is transmitted into the mind of a Cybertronian body, the frame shifts and bends accordingly to the will of their mind. I would not be surprised if Predacon frames followed the same principle."

That earned him another nod, Predaking in deep thought. "I suppose that would also explain why she is exclusively loyal to you," he did not realize how the sentence sounded coming from his mouth, Megatron narrowing his optics.

"And what do you mean by that?" His lord hissed.

"I mean no offense, my liege," Predaking immediately backtracked a little, "but I will confess I thought she would react differently in my presence. As I am sure Shockwave has informed you, myself and my predecessor possess natural leadership qualities which other Predacons instinctually follow. And yet your June showed no interest in such instincts."

Megatron felt some delight in the confession. June had no inclination toward this potential competition - _good._

"M-my liege!" Starscream shrieked from down the hall, rushing toward his master. Had it been any other scenario Megatron would have warmed up his canon and assumed this was an attack; but he knew better. "Th-the Autobots have siezed the Predacon specimens! Shockwave barely managed to escape with his life!"

"What?!" Megatron snarled, the master of deception playing his role quite well. "Quickly, Starscream, scramble your armada! We must not let the specimens fall into Optimus Prime's hands!"

"No, allow me," Predaking interjected. "I will confront the enemy that dares to threaten my bretheren!"

Megatron pulled back, giving the beast his best poker face. "Then go. I suggest you allow June to accompany you; her mettle has yet to be tested in battle, and she will serve as adequate back-up."

"As you wish, my liege," Predaking bowed, immediately turning on his heel and heading to the Predacon kennels.

"Is that really so wise, lord Megatron?" Starscream raised an optic ridge once the Predacon was out of perception range. "I quite agree that we should send that beast, but the other?"

"I want the Autobots to see what their precious human has become," Megatron grinned viciously. "And this will be a test of Shockwave's memory suppressors. Should they truly work, we should expect dear June to return with Autobot energon smeared along her maw."

Starscream smirked a little. "You are quite clever indeed, my lord."

June lifted her helm when Predaking - in his beast mode - entered, her optics blinking slowly. His agitation was clear, however, and it caused her to rise to her pedes, shaking the sleep out of her processor and armor plating flared slightly in warning. It had already been made clear the male was not to touch her or even stare at her for too long, a peculiarity the Predacon had yet to figure out. He attributed it to her previous human form, though the fact that she was not supposed to remember anything perplexed him even more.

 _"Come,"_ he growled to her, _"We must protect our bretheren."_ The massive dragon turned his bulk away from her as a Groundbridge portal opened before him. June tilted her helm, wondering if he had just given her a command. His body language and the way he growled to her were subtle indications that it was not a direct order. Someone else had told him to relay the message.

Shaking her armor to have it settle back into place she followed, the portal closing behind them. Immediately her nostrils flared, smelling burning protoforms and the unpleasant, abnormal scent of chemical fire. She hissed as two _others_ came screeching to a hault before them, transforming to their true forms and skidding to a stop. Behind them, fire exploded from a tunnel, scorching their backs.

Her companion suddenly shifted, a hiss escaping her as he became just like the _others_. Her plating bristled, displeased immensely by what she viewed as betrayal. He was not like her; the femme felt hurt, decieved. Had _Master_ known of this?

"My bretheren!" The Predacon bellowed in the foreign tongue. "What have you done?!"

Wheeljack gulped, Shovel next to him and equally terrified. His optics wandered to the other creature that was with this new one, putting two and two together.

"You're . . . the Predacon?" He voiced his disbelief out loud. What was even more shocking, however, was the presence of the second. Something in the Wrecker's processor nagged at him, yet he could not quite place what was so wrong about the situation, other than they were caught between a rock and a hard place.

The beast merely snarled, reverting back to his animalistic mode and roaring.

 _"They murdered our kin! Destroy them!"_

June felt a sense of anger well up in her; these _others_ were not like the ones back on the ship, not like their _Creator_ and _Master_. They had destroyed something precious to herself and this odd Predacon, which transformed like them, yet now she understood was not one of them.

Her processor pulsed. Was _she_ like him?

A direct shot to her face elicited a screech of pain and anger, the Predacon femme leaping to the nearest of the _others_ , one that looked suspiciously like those back home, yet it smelled odd and acted different. She found that she was more angry at the fact that she had been shot rather than the _others_ doing malicious deeds on her so-called "bretheren." No matter, they were a threat that needed to be dealt with regardless.

"Hey, paws off!" Wheeljack snapped at the new Predacon, tackling her to the ground and allowing Shovel to roll away. "Shovel, get back, and call for help! We can't take them together!"

The Vehicon deftly escaped the claws of the bigger Predacon, scrambling out of the way as a familiar relic clinked against his armor. Activating the energon whip, the Vehicon took a fighting stance, testing his comlink and finding to his horror that it did not work.

June rolled with Wheeljack, shrieking in pain as the Wrecker landing a punch to her vulnerable belly, slinking away with an angry hiss. Her back plates flared up and tail stiffened, poised to strike at him. Unsheathing his katanas, the Autobot glared, ready to slice this threat to bits if he needed to.

Shovel threw the energon whip in the largest Predacon's direction, grunting and using his entire might to throw the absolutely massive creature across the cavern, the energon whip obeying him and requiring little effort to do the task. The Vehicon stopped and stared, absolutely shocked that it had worked, and wondering if he was stronger than he thought.

His victory was short-lived, however, when the Predacon recovered quickly, snarling and charging toward him. He threw the whip again, but missed, diving out of the way of the furious Predacon. The creature's tail smacked him against a stalagmite and stunned him, giving it plenty of time to approach him, stomping on his servo and crushing the relic.

Shovel shrieked in pain, his vocalizers tearing as the cruel beast dragged its claws down his arm, its symbol glowing as fire built in its chest, preparing to end the defected Vehicon.

"Shovel!" Wheeljack slammed his pedes into the side of the Predacon's helm, the fire missing and the action drawing its attention to the Wrecker. Shovel curled up on his side and cradled his ruined servo, Wheeljack cutting the bigger male Predacon with his katanas, but taking a serious beating in return.

The Vehicon's spark nearly stopped as another presence towered over him, his optics locking onto that of the second Predacon's.

June regarded the _other_ quietly, a stray thought tugging at the back of her processor. Her tail curled and uncurled with her pulsating thoughts, attempting to sort out the significance of this otherwise worthless _other_. It was the enemy, the destroyer of her kin, but the idea did not settle wholly within her frame.

 _Shovel._

The name pulled familar chords, yet she could not place the implications of the emotions. Though she had been willing to attack before, the name forced her to hesitate. She could feel something trying to force its way into her consciousness, yet there was resistance. A persistent blip which told her to look just around the corner for the answer - though she felt like she was staring at a wall.

"G-Good Predacon . . ." Shovel stammered, terrified for his spark and wondering why he was not dead.

June's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the presence of a third _other_ zipping onto the scene and decimating her partner in crime. With one swift move the other turned toward her, pointing a canon similar to that of the _Master_ and _Creator's_ at her helm. Yet the _other_ hesitated, blue optics wide and assessing her frame.

Using his hesitation June flared up, Shovel shrieking in surprise as her claws flexed and she retreated, much faster than her larger counterpart. Wisely, the Predacon femme perceived the other to be more experienced in combat, giving his grace on the battlefield and the ease at which he had knocked Predaking aside.

Optimus Prime was caught off guard by the presence of a second Predacon - one which all three of the previously human children had failed to mention - but his priorities soon returned to him. Picking up Wheeljack and the injured Shovel the Autobot leader fled the cave, not daring to look back.

 _"Pursue!"_ June growled as the Predacon blatantly ordered her, but she followed him out of the cave, her thoughts still muddled within her processor. The pursuit proved useless, as the _others_ escaped through a foreign portal, her companion shrieking in rage.

His partner merely licked her claws, like some kind of _idiotic_ _beast_ , cleaning the energon off of them. June considered the battle to be lost, and found that the best course of action was to merely wait for _Master_ to call her back. Her perceived indifference caused rage to swell within Predaking's spark, and he stalked toward the femme in his beast mode.

 _"Do you not care?!"_ He snarled, his large paw suddenly slamming her to the ground. _"They murdered our kin, and yet you sit here like a beast and attend to yourself! We are alone in this endeavor, you_ fool!"

June's optics flared, his only warning that he had made a _dire_ mistake.

The femme growled, loudly, her plating flaring before her back legs kicked him off with shocking strength for the size difference. Predaking scrambled back to his pedes only to receive a blast of fire to the face, shuttering his sensitive optics just in time to save them from the onslaught, growling as the fire also stung. Her catalysts were not fully mixed - typical of a new Predacon - and were thus reacting _on_ his face.

After the fire came her tail, slamming into his faceplates with the force of a very angry femme. Opening his optics once he thought the onslaught was over, he saw she was glaring at him, her plating still bristled.

A Groundbridge opened behind her, yet she did not flinch, Shockwave stepping out, along with Megatron.

"June," Megatron called, the femme giving Predaking one last withering look before she slunk over to her master. Her plating lowered and a soft purr escaped her chest as his servo touched and stroked her helm, the warlord touching the sensitive plate under her chin and calming her.

"What happened?" Shockwave asked his first, noticing the agitation of the Predacons and Predaking's injured faceplates.

Predaking transformed, elliciting another hiss from June, which was quickly sated and remedied by her master. The Predacon bowed his helm.

"The Autobots have destroyed my bretheren," he spoke, ashamed of his failure. His servo touched the scorched armor on his faceplates, wiping the last of the catalyst away before it could react next to his sensitive optics. "I . . . lost my temper, and June reacted accordingly."

"I am sure you are both stressed from the loss of your kin," Megatron suggested, his gaze not leaving June's frame, observing the way she twisted and moved beneath his servo. "We will avenge your destroyed bretheren, Predaking. But for now, we must console ourselves by reminding ourselves that we still have you - and June, though she is not of pure Predacon descent."

Predaking nodded, partially agreeing. "Yes. Thank you, my liege."

"I believe it is best if we return to the ship," Shockwave spoke logically, "so that you may give us a detailed account of the events which happened here, and so you may receive medical care."

Predaking watched with burning optics as Megatron coaxed June into the Groundbridge, hating the way she followed like some glorified _pet_. He was even more upset by the fact that she most certainly did not take any orders form him, her rightful king. It did not settle well with his spark, and made the monarch all the more angry at the entire situation. Something was not right, and he wanted to understand what it was.


	6. Chapter Five: The Big Reveal

**CHAPTER FIVE | THE BIG REVEAL**

* * *

 **So, you guys may have noticed that this story will do some jumping around and a lot of time skips. The chapters are also incredibly short. Because this is an AU of a previous work of mine I did not want to delve too far into the details, which may be disappointing to a lot of you and for that I am sorry. But, I was simply going for a short and sweet "what if" that does not have a lot to unpack except for June's experience as a Predacon and what life is like for her once she regains full sentience.**

* * *

 _ **"Once you drop a mask, you can never wear it again."**_

 _ **~Ljupka Cvetanova, The New Land**_

 **•** **•** **•**

"A _second_ Predacon? Where were they hiding it?" Ratchet demanded, bewildered by the idea that the Decepticons would create a second asset and then never utilize it.

"It stands to reason the lab Shovel and Wheeljack discovered was for multiple Predacons within a single time frame, as it would be more efficient than only growing one or two aboard the warship," Optimus Prime suggested. "This second one may have only just recently matured."

"Possibly," the medic muttered.

"But something doesn't make sense," Wheeljack tapped his helm. "I just can't . . . place it. It just feels wrong, chief. Like we're missing something."

A persisting _beeping_ noise interrupted them, the Autobots pausing in their work to turn and look at the intruding noise.

"Uh, can we talk about this later? We've got a bigger problem on our servos!" Bulkhead pointed to the screens. "Smokescreen and Jack have four bogies on their tailpips; and one of them is Megatron!"

 **•** **•** **•**

Smokescreen straightened a bit as his comlink chirped, opening it up. "Smokescreen to base. What's up?"

 _"You and Jack need to get out of there, now! Buckethead is flying right your way!"_

"Megatron?" Jack looked up as the sound of jets reached his audio receptors, glaring as the shriek of engines passed over their heads and the sound of transforming followed soon after. The boy stood as Megatron landed with a heavy _thud_ , the warlord standing up straight and grinning, pointed denta intimidating in the bright dessert sun.

Three Seeker-type Vehicons followed up behind him, their servos transforming into guns and pointing at the two Autobots, silent as their master addressed the enemy.

"It seems that we have almost come full circle once again," Megatron crooned, taking a few calculated steps toward Jack, who immediately tensed into a fight-ready position. "Going to strike a deal with me once more, Jackson?"

"You _murdered_ my mother," Jack's servos transformed into their swords. "There will be no _bargaining_. I'm going to take your spark, right here, right now!"

"Oh, is that what the Autobots told you?" Megatron grinned, sharp denta bared. Smokescreen felt the energon drain from his helm at the look. "They _lied_ to you, Jack. Your mother is alive and well."

"Liar!" Jack snarled, armor plating bristled up, moments from attack. "Arcee watched her die! Collected her ashes! There was no way you could have possibly - "

"But I did," Megatron interrupted, cutting off the mechling mid-rant and continuing as if he had not. "Soundwave opened a Groundbridge portal and safely delivered her onto the _Nemesis_. Would you like to become reacquainted?"

There was tense silence, Jack unmoving from his position. As desperately as he wanted to say yes, he knew that the warlord could use that word to contract him into anything. He had to be careful - he needed to know the terms and conditions.

The warlord did not wait for an answer, however. Behind him a Groundbridge portal opened, the gaping vortex empty for several seconds before the Decepticon extended a servo outward, as if waiting for something to be dropped into his palm.

"June," he rumbled. "Attend to your _master_."

Jack watched with wide, unbelieving optics, as a never before seen Predacon slipped through the portal.

"By the Allspark . . ." Smokescreen gulped, flinching when another Groundbridge portal opened beside them, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime stepping through. They stopped, utterly shocked when they beheld Megatron and his Predacon.

The warlord chuckled, his claws scraping across the Predacon's helm, touching her armor and scratching the areas he knew she enjoyed most. His grin widened as she purred, her blue optics focused on the foreign others.

"Ah, Optimus, you know how to come in at the perfect time," Megatron gestured with his free servo to Jack, the stunned Cybertronian deathly still. "I was just reintroducing Jackson to his late mother. _Human_ mother, naturally."

"June," Optimus' optics widened when he recognized the Predacon, staring into her optics as she reacted to her name. His spark seized, frame still as he and the rest of the Autobots became as still as Jack. "Megatron, what have you _done?"_

"Are you truly surprised, _old friend_?" Megatron questioned mockingly, servo running down June's side. "I gave the Decepticons an edge; with the loss of my experiments, I had to compensate. And June provided the thing we needed. Besides, we had yet to experiment with a mold of human and Predacon - she proved immensely helpful in that regard."

"Mom . . ." Jack took a hesitant step forward, June's helm jerking and her lip plates pulling back in warning. He stopped, optics wide. "Mom, it's me. It's Jack; your son." His voice broke.

Megatron chuckled cruelly. "She does not understand, Jackson, and she does not _remember_."

"You tampered with her memory circuits," Arcee accused, pointing her canons at the warlord's helm.

" _Shockwave_ tampered with them, Autobot," Megatron sneered. "It would not do to have her remember her past self and resist in such an intimidating form. But now, as you can clearly see, she is, as you humans would put it, _wrapped around my pinky_."

Jack roared in anger. "Let her go, you sick monster! She is my mother, not some kind of pet!"

June noticed the _other_ becoming agitated, her armor flaring in response and warning. Optimus took notice, stepping forward and extending his servo in an indication of nonthreat.

"Megatron, cease this torment," he commanded, blue optics narrowed and lip plates twisted into a pained expression. "Please, allow June to return to her son. She is a sentient creature, and should not be subjected to this degradation."

Megatron laughed. "Why not allow June to make that decision for herself?"

"If she had a real choice, she wouldn't chose you," Arcee growled.

The warlord grinned at her, his red optics glittering with cruel humor. "Perhaps, but it should not surprise you Autobots that we Decepticons will do anything to receive the upper servo. Now, I'm sure you are desperate to have Ms. Darby back. So . . ." The Autobots tensed, not sure what would happen but expecting the worst. "June, _sic them."_

The Predacon femme lunged for the nearest Cybertronian, which happened to be her previously human son, Jack screaming and begging for her to stop to no avail. Arcee sprang into action to defend her partner, Smokescreen and Bumblebee joining her. Her fist slammed into the side of the Predacon's helm, knocking her jaws away from the prone experiment.

Optimus Prime charged for his long-time enemy, his spark pulsing angrily. First, he had desecrated Jack, Miko, and Rafel by experimenting on them without their consent. And now June, reduced to what could only be called a sentient beast, was fighting her own son, wrongly believing him to be the enemy.

Megatron clashed with the Prime gleefully, his optics glittering. Everything was finally going his way, and he could not wait to crush the Autobots underfoot with his newest addition. It would be most satisfactory to watch them fall to the creature they had sworn to protect.

June swung her tail and took out Bumblebee and Smokescreen with unnatural ease, the Predacon distracted by Arcee and allowing Jack to escape out from under her. It pained the boy to see his mother harmed, but she was not . . . she was not herself. It was for the best, for all of them.

Arcee punched the Predacon femme in the face, cringing. "Sorry, June, but you'd thank me for it," the Autobot muttered, dodging an onslaught of fire and aiming for her exposed sides. She was intercepted by a claw, the small femme thrown toward the Seekers, who immediately attempted to offline her.

Jack pressed himself against the rock face, as far from his mother as he could, his optics focusing on Megatron. His optics burned a soft red-blue as anger welled in his chest, abandoning the fight that was happening in front of him and moving to assist Optimus.

The Prime was faring about as well as he would in any other situation against Megatron, countering each blow but unable to land his own in turn, the pair far too evenly matched. His optics caught Jack approaching, crying out a warning too late. The boy pounced on Megatron, his swords out as he attempted to literally stab his tormenter in the back.

Snarling, the warlord threw him off, grinning savagely as he unsheathed his sword, the thrill of the fight running through his veins. "Go ahead, Jackson, exact your revenge. Show your Autobot friends the corruption within your spark."

"Gladly," Jack snarled, charging forward. Optimus attempted to stop him but was knocked aside. The Prime wanted to intervene, but he knew Jack would get hurt in the resulting tussle and confusion; though the idea of Megatron fatally wounding him was even more concerning.

June shrieked in pain and anger as Bumblebee landed a hit on her sensitive back, flaring her wings and shaking the scout off, her jaw closing around his leg and tossing him towards Optimus, the Prime barely fast enough to brace for the impact. Her attention was drawn away from her current fight when she saw _Master_ being attacked by the other he had ordered her to destroy, her optics narrowing and snarling.

Jack showed amazing prowess as he put his Decepticon-taught skills to use, countering Megatron and using the titan's bulk against him. He was not completely disillusioned - killing the warmonger was nothing more than a fantasy. But if he could at least get under the mech's guard and draw energon, he felt that his revenge would be satiated for the moment.

His adversary still had his infuriating grin plastered on his faceplates, attacking and counter-attacking with surprising grace and speed. Yet his arrogance proved his downfall as Jack slammed his sword away with more force than he expected, throwing the warlord off-balance. The resulting movement left his flank wide open, and Jack thrust his sword into the exposed side of Megatron.

The scent of the blood of _Master_ filled June's nostrils as he was injured, a shrill scream of alarm escaping her vocalizers. She charged forward, the other barely leaping out of the way to avoid her claws, his sword leaving the side of the Decepticon. Her bulk circled _Master_ and protected his vulnerable chassis, her tail curling against his chest, helm settled next to his as she gave each _other_ a warning snarl. Her chassis warmed with fire, prepared to annihilate them should they attempt another assault.

Megatron grinned, his claws stemming the energon flow from his side. "How does it feel, Jack, to know your mother has chosen _me_ over you?"

"You did something to her," he growled. "That doesn't count."

Chuckling cruelly, Megatron used June's leg for support, further infuriating the mechling. "Well, I have gained the satisfaction I wanted from seeing your faces when you realized June Darby was mine. Perhaps next time, you will be able to see her in her bipedal form."

"Megatron!" Optimus called out in rage, but the mech had already given the order, June picking him up and taking off with a _whoosh_ of wind, her powerful wings knocking the Cybertronians down. By the time the Prime had recovered and prepared to take flight, a Groundbridge had opened and the pair disappeared, leaving the defeated Autobots in the desert.


	7. Chapter Six: Check-Up, Protection

**CHAPTER SIX | CHECK-UP, PROTECTION**

 **Hello! It's been a while since I've posted, hasn't it? I'm really sorry about that, real life has been a pain the be-hind as I get ready for finals and study for the MCAT. This chapter will technically have two, just bebcause both of them were so short I felt I needed to combine them. I hope you guys enjoy this, and thank you all for reading!**

* * *

 _ **"You can change the world again, instead of protecting yourself from it."**_

 _ **~Julien Smith, The Flinch**_

 **•** **•** **•**

Predaking watched from a distance as June was looked over by Shockwave. The femme had returned with an injured Megatron in tow, the warlord commanding she too be checked for damage before Knock Out forced the warlord to lay still on a medical berth so he could be repaired.

June merely laid down and rested with her helm between her paws. The femme, though clearly intelligent and capable of many things, seemed to refuse to elevate herself to a higher status. She was content to be pet and treated like a mere beast, though the Decepticons were clearly aware that she was incredibly intelligent. Though Predaking was treated with respect, hers was different; it was more a mutual understanding and appreciation rather than tense fear.

It was baffling.

"I see no external damage," Shockwave announced, not really speaking to anyone in particular. With some prompting June rolled over lazily, the Predacon femme regarding Shockwave with a slow blink. He checked that side as well, seeing a few shallow cuts, but nothing that would not heal within the next few hours. "How has she been behaving, Predaking?"

"Nothing has changed," the Predacon decided to voice his frustrations a little. "She seems to _refuse_ to acknowledge that she could be more. I have attempted to prompt her to transform, but she merely reacts with hostility. It is not that she is incapable, or does not realize it - she is very much aware. But she simply does not _do_ it."

"June will continue to do as she desires," Shockwave regarded his first subject with a curious gaze. "It would be logical to assume that she sees no reason for a bipedal mode. Predacons generally roamed in their . . . natural forms, correct?"

"Correct," Predaking acknowledged begrudgingly. "Though when we evolved, it was not uncommon to switch between modes."

Shockwave pet the top of her helm, pleased to receive a purr in return. "Has she given you a reason?"

"Our communication is minimal at best," Predaking muttered bitterly. "She does not seem to enjoy my presence."

"I see," the Decepticon scientist straightened, his optic regarding the Predacon for a silent moment. "I trust you will not cause trouble with her unattended?"

"Nothing that will be instigated by myself," Predaking promised. Shockwave accepted the answer, leaving them be. The lonely Predacon vented, reverting to his beast mode. Approaching the femme he laid across from her, their snouts far enough apart that there was plenty of breathing space; that was as close as she allowed him without a warning growl.

 _"Do you understand their language?"_ He growled his inquiry.

Her optics blinked lazily. _"No. Their words . . . do not linger long enough to make sense."_

The same answer as the first several times he had asked, and it still made no sense. The Predacon was not well versed with science like their creator, yet he thought it would be easy to decipher her confusing answers. Did they suppress more than her memories? Perhaps her intiative as well, to keep her tame?

 _"Do you care?"_ He attempted civility, suppressing the snap in his tone.

 _"Sometimes I wonder. And sometimes my mind is troubled by something. But the thought is fleeting, and I trust_ Master's _judgement."_ She tilted her helm. _"You are different than I. You are like them."_

 _"No. I have evolved to be_ like _them."_ His optics brightened ever so slightly, this information sparking a new idea within him. Memories from his predecessor - imbedded directly into his CNA and contributing to his knowledge of Predacon culture - filtered to his consicousness. _"There were few of us who were not quite evolved. They had yet to grasp the concept . . . Ripclaw was one of few femmes like this."_

Her helm jerked a little, the reaction he had been looking for. His plating bristled a little, his helm rising and neck arching as he took in her frame.

 _"Ripclaw."_

Her blue optics flashed briefly, but then narrowed. _"The name . . . is familiar."_

Predaking stood, feeling his spark and chest fill with warm, simmering rage. _"As it should be. I must speak to the_ Creator _."_

June eyed him, not enjoying his sudden, brisk march to the door, returning to his bipedal mode and leaving her be. The femme merely curled up, shuttering her optics. Predaking confused her with his actions and his excessive desire to murder and destroy. A part of her suggested that perhaps she should be as ambitious as him, but the feeling faded almost immediately. There was nothing wrong with remaining calm and following _Master's_ orders.

Her processor drifted, pulling on threads that she was already aware led to dead ends. By now the Predacon femme had realized that her memories were nonexistent past the point when she had first woken up, on that incredibly painful day. She had thought it was because she had been created then, and had not existed before such a time, but Predaking had slivers of memory from his predecessor, the CNA he carried within him containing such memories. It was odd, then, that she did not have the same. _Sensations_ , yes, but not true memories like the Predacon before her.

Predaking had said that he required the research of their species to fully understand what was going on, and using his bipedal mode had downloaded their language so that he may communicate with them. June had considered the notion, yet found it unnecessary. If _Master_ wished to share something with her, he would.

Her plating bristled slightly. _Master_ had nearly gotten himself killed with his arrogance. The _others_ he had challenge vastly outnumbered him, and even with her they stood little chance of succeeding. As much as she wished to call him a fool he would learn from his mistake - he was certainly intelligent enough to do so without prompting. He did not need a femme to vocalize that for him.

Shuttering her optics, June allowed her sensitive audio receptors to pick up sounds from within the ship. She searched for _Master's_ familiar pedesteps, knowing he would most certainly be paying her a visit the moment he was healed, and eagerly awaited his praise. Even when she disappointed him the tender tyrant only did enough to show her her place, to punish her as she deserved. More often than not, his servos stroked and touched the areas of her helm that brought her the most pleasure, the mech a quick learner and eager to reward. It was something that was unique to her - no one else, not even Predaking, had the pleasure of his affections like her.

It was endearing, and reassuring. They would be there for one another, reliable and steadfast. They could _trust_ each other.

 **•** **•** **•**

Predaking stalked around the halls of the warship in search of his creator, silently fuming. Though he wished to second-guess himself and give Shockwave's judgement the benefit of the doubt, the fact that he had been deceived bounced around in his processor incessantly. Shockwave had lied about using Ripclaw's body to experiment with a human. As if the desecration had not been enough, they had attempted to hide it from him as well. It made him wonder what other secrets they were concealing from him.

The creator's scent lead him to a laboratory, one he recognized well, opening the door to a surprised Knock Out, who practically ran out of his way as he approached the ever-calm Shockwave. His anger rippled from his frame in droves, and yet even that did not faze the Cybertronian.

"You _lied_ to me!" He snarled, slamming his fist on a countertop. "You destroyed Ripclaw's body for the sake of a _human_ experiment!"

Shockwave did not even flinch, having anticipated that one day Predaking would find out. He had to assume that Predaking had put two and two together himself and did not actually know the whole truth, venting slowly as he gazed at his creation.

"Ripclaw's clone was dying," Shockwave answered monotonously. "She was the runt of the pack, and nature was taking its course. I let her pass away quietly, as a mercy. June Darby was merely secondary to what had happened; had she not been present Ripclaw still would have succumbed to her underdeveloped spark."

"And yet June _lives_ inside her!" Predaking hissed.

"I was able to make modifications to the failed spark and, using the Cataclysmic Theory, created one that was able to run on its own, without prompting from a supernatural force," the scientist explained, only the first part a complete lie. The rest was true.

Predaking looked away, his servos curling and uncurling. He was processing the information, picking apart every word in search a deception, a weak link which would indicate that he was still being taken for a fool. "Is it . . . possible that June could retain some of Ripclaw's memories? Similar to how my predecessor's lives within me?" The Predacon asked carefully.

"Perhaps, but I do not know for certain," that was all true. "But, to prove such a hypothesis her memory suppressors would require removement, and that is a risk we are not willing to take."

The Predacon's claws continued to flex in agitation, his back struts twitching. He was unsure what to believe; though Shockwave's explanations made sense, so had his previous ones, the lies. Was the scientist afraid that, should Predaking know the entire truth, he would kill him in his rage? To replace Ripclaw's persona with that of an organic creature was like a slap in the face, an insult the the Predacon kind, but if she had truly been dying . . . then he supposed he could not fully reject their scientific endeavor. All the same, though, it was morbid to think that her body was being used as a puppet for a lesser creature.

His rage calmed just a little, his plating flattening back down against his frame as he thought. This was all the more reason for him not to like "June," to see them as different and himself superior. Perhaps that was for the best.

A tool dropping ripped his focused gaze from the creator and landed on an unfamiliar mech, whose optics dimmed as the energon drained from his helm. He had clearly been sneaking around behind Predaking in hopes to escape his notice, afraid for his life. When the beast saw why, his chest became hot again.

"You have been sequestering an _Autobot_ sympathizer from me?!" He roared, loudly, feeling utterly betrayed once more. "You have done nothing but lie to me! What other things have you told me that are untrue? What more deception have you concealed yourselves behind?"

Shockwave took a step back, immediately pinging Soundwave instructions. "Predaking, he is necessary for a project we are currently working toward - "

"No, no more!" Predaking snarled. "I will put an end to your deceit, once and for _all!"_

The beast transformed, his piercing screech shattering several samples of synthetic energon. Shockwave fell backward as the Predacon launched away from him, toward the screaming orange and white Autobot. He would make this creature - and the rest of the ship - pay for their crimes against him.

A Groundbridge portal opened beside him and a green blurr escaped from it, giving the king no time to react. Crashing into Predaking in a tangle of snarls and growls, June threw the larger creature acrossed the increasingly cramped space whilst Shockwave, Ratchet, and Knock Out oriented themselves behind her. She crouched, anticipating the mech's next attack, her tail swishing and preparing to redistribute her weight accordingly.

Predaking shook his helm to get rid of the disorientation, growling and snarling. _"Bow to your king!"_

June _felt_ rather than _smelled_ the command to submit, her tail curling in agitation as she bared her sharp denta, optics glowing brightly. Her claws dug into the lab floor, carving into it like soft butter - whatever _that_ was - and giving her purchase should Predaking attempt to knock her down.

 _"You are no king,"_ she roared, a battlecry, as Predaking charged toward her. She met him head-on, the pair rolling and slamming into tables, damaging equipment, and becoming stained in incomplete synthetic energon. The smaller femme had the advantage, darting and slipping through the smallest of cracks and crevices that he provided, her claws raking against his weak spots and causing energon to spill onto the ground. She twisted her lithe body around his own, a deadly emerald against amber.

Her advantage ended, however, when a clawed paw sent her crashing to the ground, pinning her and immobilizing her back legs. Despite her attempts to wiggle loose he resisted, growling and putting all of his weight on her frame. Where June had the advantage of being able to manipulate around in a small space, Predaking had size and strength against her. Armor began to crack and his chest glowed as he prepared to incinerate her.

"Predaking!" Megatron opened the door, his fusion canon completely warmed up, prepared to fire straight into the mech's processor. "Stand down, this instant, or be terminated!"

Predaking glared at the mech, his chest glowing bright. After all of the lies, the deception, the king of the Predacons could not just walk away. If he was not terminated here, the Decepticons would certainly have him terminated at a later date, and with nothing to show for it.

At the very least, he would ride the world of this Ripclaw _abomination_ , in honor of its namesake.

Megatron reacted as soon as he saw the decision in the mech's optics, firing a single, supercharged shot that went straight through his helm, destroying everything that had been the first successful cloning experiment. There was a long, drawn out pause, the dragon-former's fire extinguishing and his grip slackening on June before giving way completely, the femme kicking his corpse off of herself.

"June!" Ratchet started towards her, stopping when she immediately bristled and hissed, the fire of the fight still in her optics. He immediately put his servos up and took several copious steps back, the femme able to take out half of his body in one strong bite. His fear for his own spark outweighed his concern for her wellbeing, though he looked at her with the upmost concern, hoping she could sense it.

Megatron watched the scene with some amusement, though it displeased him how upset the Predacon was. "June," he coaxed, extending his servo, canon still warm due to the discharge.

Ratchet watched with both amazement and disgust as her armor lowered and she slinked to the silver titan, this time the mech taking her helm in both servos, petting her horns and the bottom of her chin. Her optics shuttered as she enjoyed the attention, tail relaxing and beginning to swish happily.

"Let me take a look at her," the Autobot insisted. "She could be injured."

"I believe Shockwave is more qualified for such a task than you, _medic_ ," Megatron immediately denied him, not deigning to look at the medic. "As she is his experiment." His claws twisted to stroke down her cheek, tracing the armor pieces there.

"I did not see any obvious signs of damage, save for her cracked armor," Shockwave noted, seemingly undisturbed by his off-lined creation on the floor. "A simple cosmetic fix that Knock Out is more than capable of handling."

Megatron's red optics focused on his medic. "See to it that her injuries are repaired." Finally, his red gaze settled on Ratchet. "As for you, Autobot, I suggest you continue your work on the synthetic energon. We have had enough delays; and I will tolerate no others."

Ratchet watched with pained, desperate optics as June obediently followed the warmonger out of the door, Knock Out slipping into step behind her. It hurt his spark to see such a proud woman reduced to a mere animal, and she seemed none the wiser about her predicament.

Though he supposed, bitterly, that he could not be surprised. Her memories were gone, or at the very least kept under a tight lock and key. She could not even remember a time when she was not some sick Decepticon experiment.

Grimacing to himself, he continued to work. After the synthetic energon was complete, he would find a way to save June.

Or end her misery.


	8. Chapter Seven: Siege

**CHAPTER SEVEN | SIEGE**

* * *

 _ **"The true soldier knows nothing but war, and the true soldier, for lack of an enemy, attacks himself."**_

 _ **~Dan Groat, Monarchs and Mendicants**_

 **•** **•** **•**

June new something was wrong long before the doors of her kennel were open, the unbearable voice of a particularly disliked _other_ filling her audio receptors.

"The Autobots are attacking our ship!" Starscream screeched at her, clutching the shock prod in his servos. "Down to the ventral side of the ship, you beast, and attend to our master!"

The Predacon recognized _Master_ , standing and watching as Starscream darted away and took off, the femme having the presence of mind and intelligence to follow. Spreading her magnificent wings, instincts instructed her on how to take flight, taking to the skies for the first time and tailing the Seeker, diving down to see conflict. The scent of spilt energon permeated the air heavily on a part of the ship she had never seen before. Never had she been introduced to the belly, though the femme had no inclination to explore - it was rather odd, as part of the ship extended downward into a something she recognized as a device. It was not the ship itself, but an _addition_.

Another _ping_ tugged at the back of her mind, but she ignored it.

Her sharp optics noticed each individual battle, the _others_ of both warring factions engaged with one another. Gracefully gliding around a jagged spire, her chest warmed in preparation for mixing the catalysts to give her fire, yet the scent of energon warned her to not use it in this small space. The resulting reaction could kill the ones she intended to spare.

"Not sure whether I'm glad to see ya, or if I'm mad that you're ruining the party, June!" Miko opened fire on the Predacon femme, intentionally hitting her thick hide armor and streaking past her in jet mode, distracting her briefly. The Predacon blasted fire toward the flying _other_ , well away from energon, and managing to scorch part of its back end and elicit a cry of pain.

"Miko!" Jack leaned over the edge of the new Omega Lock, gasping as his mother emerged from the side and attacked. The young man barely avoided her claws, rolling out of the way and feeling the _whoosh_ as the sharp points whistled past. Arcee retaliated by blasting her face, leaping over her partner protectively. Jack scrambled out of the way and instead engaged Starscream while Arcee was distracted, him and Bumblebee teaming up to stop the Seeker.

Miko circled back around and latched onto the Predacon's back, one of her servo's becoming maces and smashing into June's armor. A shriek of pain escaped from the woman, June dislodging herself from the side and attempting to shake Miko off. The Seeker femme held on for dear life, her servo returning for a second handhold, eventually leaping backwards and transforming in a sequence that even Starscream would have been jealous of.

June retreated briefly to reassess her priorities, optics spotting _Master_ below engaging the large blue and red _other_ in a battle that could only be to the death. Her tail curled against the spire briefly, growling and shrieking as one of the others from above leaped from below, holding a weapon that made her armor flare.

Her fire blasted forth, but it missed, scorching the edge of the weapon. _Master_ took care of the threat, however, three shots from his canon dispatching the _other_ with ease. Shrieks of terror and horror echoed across the expanse, and even June paused. Loss struck her out of nowhere, tearing at her spark as a mourning cry involuntarily escaped her vocalizers. A life, innocent and pure, was lost - one she did not even know about existed.

Megatron sneered at Optimus, taken by surprise when the mech punched him angrily, snarling his rage. Bumblebee had been one of his closest friends; the warmonger had no longer just taken his voice, he had taken his _life_.

Optimus Prime's blows were quickly met with retaliation, Megatron's fist slamming into him and putting distance between the pair. The warlord picked up his Dark Star Saber, the dangerous weapon glowing in his servos. Blinded by rage, Optimus charged, his experienced opponent waiting patiently before swinging his sword. The resulting wave of energy slammed into Optimus before he had time to react, the Prime stumbling back and falling over the edge.

Someone - Ratchet, Arcee, Smokescreen, or one of the children - screamed his name. Miko moved to transform and help the Prime, but a Vehicon Seeker subdued her, Starscream pointing his rocket at the young femme and threatening to blow her helm off should she resist.

"I have waited for this day for a long, long time," Megatron raised his sword, grinning devilishly. "The day I end your spark, Optimus Prime!"

The warlord was rudely interrupted by a green and creme blurr, June slamming into him and curling her claws around his torso. Her piercing scream of rage nearly blew out his opitcs and audio receptors, the gladiator growling and preparing to react to her insolence when he realized she was not _attacking_ him. Where he had been standing was the scout, Bumblebee, the hole in his chest healing and the Star Saber in his servos.

"Optimus!" Bumblebee cried out the Prime's name, unaware he had just spoken. He quickly helped the Prime up, June growling and curling around her master.

"What are you going to do, Optimus?" Megatron mocked as the Prime took the Star Saber, fully facing the Decepticon leader and his loyal Predacon. "Attack me, and June will not only tear you to shreds, but she may get hurt in the process."

Optimus gazed into the optics of the Predacon femme, his spark faltering ever so slightly. He shuttered his optics briefly, setting his jaw.

"June would understand," he spoke.

"Optimus, _no!"_ Jack screamed from above as the mech raised the Star Saber, the blade glowing blue as it charged with the power of the Matrix.

June's optics narrowed, the Predacon hissing. She knew escaping the attack would be fruitless by taking flight - she was too slow. Taking the hit was too dangerous as well; not only would _Master_ take damage, but if she was injured she could potentially fail to further protect him.

There was only way to go, and judging by the effects the strange substance had on the small, innocent _other_ , it was safe.

The Predacon femme's grip tightened on Megatron, his only indication that she was going to move, before she dived into the Omega Lock.

"June!" Ratchet shouted, his cry falling on deaf audio receptors as both the Predacon and Megatron disappeared below the surface. It rippled briefly, the two figures seeming to fade out of existence.

 _It is dark._

 _But it has not always been dark._

June twisted, her claws releasing Megatron as her optics on-lined and a surprised vent escaped what she would have called her lungs. The supernatural substance washed across her processor, slipping across the memory suppressors and shattering them, healing her broken memories and subdued past.

Megatron struggled only briefly, his wide red optics shuttering and his body sinking further as the energon had vastly different effects on his frame. The dark energon within reacted violently, pain radiating across his veins and threatening to destroy him from the inside out. The Omega Lock instead purged the substance from his body, healing his torn spark and wiping out the corruption.

Optimus stared as the Omega Lock's energon stilled, showing no signs of life from within. There was tense silence across the entire apparaturs, Jack venting almost uncontrollably as he waited. His mother . . . she could not just be _gone_.

A servo erupted from the Omega Lock, the gasping and sputtering of a new Cybertronian not quite accustomed to her body breaking the silence. A bipedal femme emerged, her faceplates contorted into a pained expression, blue optics focusing on the Autobot leader as she desperately reached for him.

"Optimus," June Darby gasped, flailing in the substance like a drowning child. "Help me."

 **•** **•** **•**

 **Ya'll I'm starting to feel like the _Queen_ of deus ex machinas. But hey, I like how this turned out.**

 **Hopefully I will be able to update on a more consistent basis, as my finals week is nearly over and now I am not burdened with college assignments. We shall see how the schedule pans out. So you guys are kind of aware of what's going on, there are going to be at least ten more chapters, and they will be a bit on the shorter side. This is just a quick and easy fic, nothing overly complicated or intense that requires 3,000 words per chapter and 100 parts to it, so if you don't like that then I do apologize. That is, however, the style I am sticking with.**

 **Thank you to those who have left reviews thus far, especially those who continue to give me consistent feedback. You guys help me out more than you probably know, and for that I am incredibly grateful. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Recuperation

**CHAPTER EIGHT | RECUPERATION**

* * *

 _ **"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."**_

 _ **~Rose Fiztgerald Kennedy**_

 **•** **•** **•**

June collapsed onto her knee servos the moment her pedes hit solid ground. Optimus put a comforting servo against her back while she vented heavily, coughing up the strange liquid which filled her intake from her panicked thrashing. Her frame shook whilst her processor spun, trying to understand what had happened.

 _Megatron . . . Shockwave . . . they turned me into_ this _._

Fuzzy memories danced across her processor, recollections of her time as a naive Predacon. She remembered Predaking, the _others_ \- ones she now recognized as the Decepticons and Autobots - her missions, her struggle to understand who she _was._

 _Ripclaw._

She shuttered her optics, shaking her helm. There was a second presence within her processor, brushing against her but not invading. A Predacon from hundreds of millions of years past, roaming the Earth before the "Great Cataclysm." Providing her memories from deep within her CNA, the Predacon taught her of might and power, tragedy and war. Ripclaw was the gentlest, most maternal of the Predacons, yet was aloof and took no one, male or female, as her partner. She was a strong, independent femme, who needed no mech to protect her.

"June," Optimus rumbled, his voice slow and careful. "Are you alright?"

Pulled from her reverie, the femme's blue optics focused on the Autobot leader.

"I don't . . . I don't know . . ." She whispered. Memories of the Autobot leader broke through her haze. Optimus, flying into the cavern to protect Shovel and Wheeljack from the wrath of Predaking - and her. Optimus, engaging Megatron after the Decepticon leader had ordered her to -

 _Oh god. Oh Primus, what have I done?_

"Mom!" Jack bellowed, his voice filled with relief, pain, and sorrow, Miko shouting a warning as the young man began clambering down the side of the Omega Lock. The former human was too preoccupied with his mother to worry about falling into the Earth's atmosphere, overwhelmed with the desire to make sure she was safe.

"Jack," she stood on shaking legs, Optimus keeping her supported until Jack could run to her. June was significantly taller than her son, and almost taller than the Autobot leader, though Optimus suspected that she had unitentionally used mass displacement when transitioning from her Predacon form to her bipedal, Cybertronian mode. Regardless, it did not stop the small family from embracing, June clutching her son tightly as he did the same to her in turn, her digits gently touching the back of his helm.

Jack buried his faceplates into her shoulder, venting heavily as his spark stung. Despite her Predacon base, June looked very much like she did in her human form; the coloring was off, as there were no black accents with which to mimic her hair, but her heart-shaped face, hint of a widow's peak, and slender yet filled form was all the young man needed to know this woman was truly his mother.

"I'm sorry," June felt her optics begin to sting, energon flowing down her faceplates. "I don't know what happened to me, Jack, but if I had any control, I would have never - "

"It's okay, mom," Jack parted from her, wiping her tears away. "I know. Megatron told us that he used memory suppressors; it's not your fault."

She nodded, still very much upset, wondering how she had not been able to break through. The threads of thought she had chased so many times before - why had they gone to dead ends? Why did she not just try harder to free herself? The femme felt robbed, and used.

Movement drew their attention to the other side of the Omega Lock, where a silver titan pulled himself from the edge and crawled out of the energon. He too coughed and sputtered, hacking up energon that had filled his vents. The once proud Megatron was on his hands and knees, shuddering as he shook the disorientation from his processor.

Optimus Prime frowned, clutching the Star Saber in his servo. Silently walking past Bumblebee he approached the tyrant, his face shield sliding across his face whilst the blade glowed a soft blue. He would ask for the warlord's surrender only once; and if all he received was a laugh in his face, he would end the war once and for all, without a second thought.

He pointed the sword toward Megatron. His actions drew the Decepticon's attention toward him, the Prime freezing in shock when blue optics beheld his red frame.

"O . . . Orion Pax?" Megatron stared at him in disbelief.

The silence between the two pervaded for longer than necessary, but Optimus was attempting to piece everything together amidst the ripple of shock across his frame. It seemed that when the Omega Lock had "healed" June Darby by wiping out her memory suppressors, it may have also purged the dark energon from Megatron, as well as the corruption that had tainted his spark. Much like when Optimus surrendered the Matrix, Megatron's surrendering of his anger and hatred wiped his memory files clean.

Megatron's gaze slid down the ex-archivist's sword, his faceplates molding into an expression of betrayal.

"So . . . _you_ are the mole," he whispered with bitter resentment. "You were the one sent to kill me, to end my 'political reign of terror'. How _predictable._ "

Optimus gazed at his old friend, recalling the incident clearly. The corrupted Council had sent someone to assassinate Megatronus before he could form a proper gathering and rally against the caste system. Megatronus had guessed it was one of his closest allies; and now it seemed that it was Optimus - Orion Pax - that was the one who betrayed him.

"No, old friend," Optimus Prime rumbled. He heard Ratchet cry out in protest, but he cast aside the Star Saber, watching the weapon spin away from the Omega Lock and catching fire as it entered Earth's atmosphere. "I am not the one that was sent to hurt you. But, there is a lot of explaining that must be done."

"Explaining?" Megatronus eyed his extended servo suspiciously, his optics wandering over Optimus' frame, noticing the drastic difference and weapons upgrade he did not think his friend possessed. "I suppose . . . there is."

The gladiator took the archivist's servo, letting him assist in bringing him back onto his pedes. Their EM fields brushed during that brief moment, Megatronus surprised when he felt no sort of deceit from Orion, and a new kind of humbleness within him. It was with further confusion he beheld their current location, which was clearly far from Cybertron and in . . . space? Megatronus could not recall _ever_ stepping foot from his planet's surface.

"Master! Thank the Allspark!" Starscream gracefully leapt from the side of the Omega Lock, briefly transforming and streaking toward Megatron, reverting back to his bipedal mode and landing elegantly in front of the Cybertronian. Megatronus took a step back, his optics narrowing. "You have survived! I thought that beastly femme had offlined you!"

"Beastly?" June muttered, shooting the shrieking Seeker a withering look.

"You . . . you are that annoying Vosnian," Megatronus replied distastefully, trying to make sense of what the strange mech was telling him. "The Seeker. Starscream, wasn't it?"

Starscream's jaw dropped a little, gazing at Megatronus' blue optics and attempting to figure the situation out. He chuckled nervously, then gestured to him angrily whilst looking at Optimus. "What have you done to him?!"

Optimus Prime was surprisingly calm. "It stands to reason that when the Omega Lock wiped the corruption and dark energon from Megatron's systems, it reverted him back to his Megatronus state. Any and all of his previous ideals have been wiped from his memory processors. It would also explain why June's own memories were restored."

"The Omega Lock performed _mnemosurgery_ on our lord and master?!" Starscream asked skeptically.

Shockwave gazed at the scene below, speaking out loud to no one in particular. "A logical assumption. However, why exterminate his corruption?"

"Primus works in mysterious ways," Ratchet muttered, though the statement was extraordinarily sarcastic. "I say we count our blessings."

"Perhaps, but I do not know," Optimus confessed, turning toward the amnesiac Megatron.

"Well, this leaves us Decepticons and you Autobots in quite the conundrum," Starscream sneered. "Do we continue to battle when our lord is clearly incapacitated? Are you going to coerce him into surrendering, Optimus Prime?"

"Prime?" Megatronus looked at him, shocked. "Orion, what is he prattering about?"

"To ask Megatron - now Megatronus - to surrender an army he does not know exist would be unethical," Optimus ignored his friend's question for the moment. "I only ask that we instead unite, Starscream, and help Megatronus understand from both an Autobot and Decepticon perspective. From there we may discuss the next step."

"You want to teach him the entire Autobot and Decepticon conflict?" The Seeker snorted. "Within what, a few more _million_ years?"

"We will teach him what we can," Optimus looked toward Megatronus. "I am sorry, old friend, but there is much that needs to be discussed. Let us all meet at the bridge of the _Nemesis_ and continue this conversation. There are many things that need to be attended to." His optics flickered over to the mother and son that remained across the Omega Lock, Bumblebee also standing and observing with a confused gaze.

"I expect to be fully briefed on whatever the _frag_ is going on here," Megatronus growled, eyeing Optimus. "Starting with your new frame - and apparent title."

Optimus gave him a thin smile. "Of course."

"I suppose . . . I should be caught up on a few things too," June gave her son a sad smile, gently brushing his face as if she was moving a piece of hair out of his eyes.

"I'll do the best I can to explain," Jack promised her, the two of them embracing briefly before Miko flew down to retrieve them.

This was going to be a long, _long_ day.


	10. Chapter Nine: Plan of Attack

**CHAPTER NINE | PLAN OF ATTACK**

* * *

 _ **"A goal without a plan is just a wish."**_

 _ **~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery**_

 **•** **•** **•**

The bridge was cramped with all of the Autobots - only Ratchet and Ultra Magnus the ones Megatronus recognized immediately - and Decepticons, of which Megatronus only recognized Soundwave.

The silent communications officer was the one Megatronus trusted the most, though the changed Orion Pax was a close second. It was by these two the gladiator stood, quietly listening as they all tried to come up with the best way to tell him how in the world he ended up across the universe on a dirt planet called Earth, comandeering a ship he had never heard of before.

"I believe it would be best if Megatronus heard both sides of the story," Optimus Prime spoke, briefly taking center stage. "To hear what each faction has to say about the origins of the war, and the perspective we have of one another."

"But, aren't eye-witness stories typically unfaithful to the original content?" Jack asked, not wanting to play devil's advocate but realizing - thanks to the cursed shard within his spark - that Megatronus was already doubting several members of both factions. He was sorting those he deemed trustworthy and untrustworthy, and the former list was incredibly small.

Shockwave gestured with his one proper servo. "Cybertronian memories are stored like files," he explained. "Unless physical corruption or outside forces distort them, they are perfect recollections of the events that have come to pass. Therefore, a cortical psychic patch would be the most logical choice for sharing memories, as they cannot be fraudulent and the speaker cannot warp the truth."

Megatronus' brow furrowed. "Cortical psychic patch?"

"Oh boy," Ratchet muttered.

"My own invention," Shockwave was ever patient to catch his lord up to the happenings of present day. "It allows a Cybertronian to access the memory data of another. It has been used as an alternative to . . . traditional methods of extracting information. Unlike mnemosurgery, the contents cannot be altered by the perpetrator or target."

The gladiator thought on the idea, adding it to his memory banks and deciding he could ask more questions about it later, if he so desired.

"The only problem, then, is deciding who to nominate," Starscream eyed all of the Autobots. "Given that none of us trust one another, it will be difficult to chose - "

"Why not let the grown Cybertronian, who can think for himself, pick?" June had no idea where her snap came from, the Predacon simply sick and tired of Starscream picking on the amnesiac Megatron and wanting him to stop. "You are all acting as if he is not _standing_ right there. Just because he has no memories does not mean he can't make a sensible choice."

Her outburst had everyone staring, the Autobots in particular trying to make sense of what they just heard. June, a victim of Megatron and Shockwave's twisted schemes, who had been used by the warlord to attack her own son, was defending him.

A long vent escaped her. She was going crazy.

"Sorry," she shook her helm, suddenly feeling the need to escape. Pressure built on her chest plates, and her frame began to heat up with embarrassment. "Sorry, I need some air."

"Mom?" Jack reached out for her, but she had quickly slipped out of the crowd and headed to the door. The mechling followed her, leaving two of the former humans in the bridge, and a long awkward silence to permeate.

"Well, she _is_ right," Knock Out finally broke the quiet. "It's not like he's a sparkling."

"Astute observation," Megatronus growled at him, earning a nervous chuckle from the bright red grounder. His blue optics flickered across the entirety of the crew that was present, gazing toward Orion. "Truthfully, Soundwave is the only one I can say with full confidence I trust. I want to trust you, Orion Pax, but . . ."

"Many things have changed," Optimus agreed, taking a small step back and gesturing to the mechs on his other side. "Would you prefer Ratchet or Ultra Magnus?"

Megatronus took a moment to consider the bitter medic and the impersonal first lieutenant. Ratchet had always been a bit too opinionated for his taste, and he most certainly did not want Ultra Magnus in his head if it meant he could see all of the questionably legal things he had done.

"No," He said finally, returning his gaze to Optimus. "I believe the most powerful truth will come from you."

"Then it is settled," Optimus turned to the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons. "I would also suggest Megatronus, should he wish for more perspectives or information, be granted permission to chose another Autobot and Decepticon for further consulation."

There was a little unease, as several were wary about a fully-aware Megatronus in their heads, but no one dared to complain. They were in this together, and the fate of the rest of this war hung in the balance. Most of the present party wanted this war to end, and to be the one to refuse and plunge them back into civil war would be unforgiveable.

"I take it we're all agreeing," Bumblebee spoke for the group, everyone nodding slowly, reluctantly.

Meanwhile, June hurriedly paced through the halls of the ship, a foreign instinct guiding her along as if she had walked these corridors for years. Caught up in her own thoughts, she did nto hear Jack as he jogged toward her.

"Mom," Jack caught up to his mother, finally, gently touching her arm. The femme stopped, her processor continuing to spin.

 _Master is good. Master is kind._

 _I am owned by no one._

 _I am tamed by nothing._

"What happened back there?" Jack asked, gazing into her optics and seeing the conflict within them. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know," June shook her helm. "I'm . . . I'm remembering Jack, being a Predacon, but also an experiment. They didn't . . . mistreat me, and yet it feels so _wrong_."

The young man watched helplessly as his confused mother leaned against the wall, holding her processor. He had no idea what she was talking about, save for perhaps the last part.

"Do you think it's Stockholm's?" Jack suggested.

"Maybe . . ." She mumbled. "I swear I'm not crazy, Jack."

"No one said you were crazy," Her son was becoming increasingly concerned. "Do you want to have Ratchet take a look? He isn't a psychiatrist, but maybe he can find some physical explanation."

The nurse took a moment to stare at her pedes, nodding slowly. "I think that would be best," she agreed softly, putting a servo to her helm.

How would she explain this? Ripclaw was insistent that what she was feeling was normal; she was allowing her protective instincts to encompass those who were important to her. Yes, Megatron had used her as a tool for distruction, but he showed her respect and did not abuse her, more than what some of his other subordinates could say. In a . . . twisted way, he took care of her and made sure she was happy - by petting her and showing her affection like a dog.

That was where June was torn. She was treated like an animal, but in the best way an animal could. Ripclaw could agree some things were demeaning, but . . .

 _Look at the whole picture. You were important, meaningful._

She shook her helm and suppressed the urge to scream. The cognitive dissonance was going to drive her nuts.

"Mom, talk to me," Jack insisted. "What's going on? Are you in pain?"

Well, now that he mentioned it, she was getting a soft throbbing at the front of her helm.

"Only a little," she admitted. "It's just . . . it's _hard_. I can't explain it."

Her son nodded, taking a deep vent. "Do you need to lay down? I'm sure there's some place you can recharge in peace."

Laying down sounded great right about now. "I know of a place," she smiled sadly. "Could you tell the 'bots that I'm on the flight deck if they need me?"

Jack raised an optic ridge. "Um . . . sure. But, you promise you're okay?"

"I promise," June reassured, gently touching her son's faceplates. "I'll probably only need to rest for a few hours, and then be right back."

"Alright," Jack gave his mother one last hug. "Be safe, mom."

"I will," she whispered, hugging her baby tight. He had grown up so much.


	11. Chapter Ten: Explanations

**CHAPTER TEN | EXPLANATIONS**

* * *

 ** _"Some things in life are too complicated to explain in any language."_**

 ** _~Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage_**

 **•** **•** **•**

 _" - and how long shall we wait for this corruption to infect the very core of our world?! How long shall we allow those Iacon pigs to gorge on their hedonistic ideals while we toil in the mines and fight for our lives in this gladitorial arena?!"_

"I remember this fight," Megatronus sat next to Soundwave inside of the Kaon arena, the silent communications officer reclined back with his legs crossed. "This was after I had defeated a Combiner - no small feat."

 _The crowd roared in response to Megatronus' words, some screaming profanities that the gladiator brushed aside, caring only for those that called his name and begged for more of his wisdom. The memory shifted to Megatronus standing proudly atop of a massive cybernetic beast, the creature slain by his sword and fusion canon. He now sported more scars, some of them having yet to fully heal._

 _"The Senate has attempted to end my life on multiple occasions, but I will not be silenced!" The gladiator screamed to the crowd. "I will not allow them to make a martyr of me just yet! Not while I still have more to say!"_

Megatronus gazed toward Soundwave again, who was now standing in a more secluded part of the arena. The pair of them had quietly shifted seamlessly from one memory to the next, now observing another fight from the shadows. His blue optics gazed at the slender Decepticon with some confusion. "Why these memories?" He asked. "I know what happened here, I know all of my fights, my speeches. Why relive them?"

Soundwave instead silently pointed past Megatron, down the dark hall in which they resided. There, they saw the Soundwave of the past, before his modifications, narrow optics analyzing the gladiator with cold calculations.

 _"Are you sure about this?" A sleazy Cybertronian, Swindle, emerged from the shadows beside him. "A Councilman of Zeta Prime going against the most powerful gladiator in all of Kaonic memory, one that adopted the blasphemous name of Megatronus?"_

 _"I am more sure than I have been in a long time," Soundwave answered, giving Swindle a hefty amount of shanix. "My other attempts have been thwarted thus far. Zeta Prime has demanded his execution. While I normally work in the shadows, this time I will make it much more personal."_

 _Swindle snorted. "It sounds more like an elaborate plot for your execution. But whatever. Not like we couldn't use less of you Iacon trash."_

Megatronus' optics widened, taking a step back as he gazed at Soundwave.

"It was _you_." He said, despite it being so obvious. "All this time, and it was you attempting to kill me?"

Soundwave did not answer, instead changing the memory. The shocked Megatronus whirled on the fine metallic floor of the arena as a shout of anger rang out from behind him, the unpleasant sound of metal on metal his only warning before Soundwave - _traitorous_ Soundwave - flew past him. His past self followed quickly, massive sword unsheathed and prepared to end the silent mech.

 _"You declare yourself a warrior for Zeta Prime," Megatronus mocked. "Why do you follow a False Prime, Iaconian? Why do you allow yourself to eat up his teachings and purge common sense?"_

 _Soundwave avoided the blow, spinning to his pedes with incredible speed._

 _"Cybertron is becoming poisoned, and we will fix it," the mech hissed, his arms blocking the next swipe, his staff spinning in his servo. The sharp, spiked ends hummed in the warm Kaonic air, displacing the fine metal shards beneath them. "Zeta Prime speaks of wisdom and truth - "_

 _"- while sitting on his throne of shanix and energon," Megatronus sneered. "Zeta Prime came from a privileged society, one that rewards his laziness with all he could ever ask for. Do you think, Soundwave, that your False Prime will bring about a second Golden Age? Look around you! The only thing that is golden is your armor, and his words! The rest is falling to rust!"_

 _Soundwave grit his denta. He could see why this gladiator, ex-miner, was so popular. He had a way with words that was impressive, and deliciously deceptive. He also appealed to the lower caste, the majority - a dangerous threat to the Cybertronian government._

 _He managed to gain the upper servo with Megatronus, the crowd going absolutely wild as this nobody threw their once favorable gladiator to the ground, intending to finish him swiftly. As his sword raised to complete his perogative, all he received was a lethal grin._

 _"And what is a follower of Zeta Prime doing here? Coming to kill gladiators and eradicate the society of what you consider to be garbage? Why would a councilman dirty his servos in a place like this?"_

 _Soundwave paused. And that very nearly cost him his life._

 _Megatronus slammed their helms together in the split moment of hesitation, throwing the mech off of him. The crowd roared again, watching their prize rise to his pedes, and begin to beat the scrap out of what could have been his destruction._

"I convinced you, here," Megatronus realized. "I turned you from your mission and made you a follower."

Soundwave merely nodded. Now, Megatronus would make a decision, as he intended. He had finally revealed his treachery to his master as a test to who he was. If Megatronus was as bent on war and destruction as he had been as Megatron, he would prove as such by attempting to kill Soundwave, one he had once trusted with his life, even saved from a battlefield. Then, of course, there would be nothing to show the mech - and he was certain Megatronus would then continue his treachery and attempt to slaughter the Autobots.

Should Megatronus instead forgive Soundwave, the mech would continue to show him memories, and show Megatronus the consequences of his bloodlust. There would be little glory, as the Decepticon cause only initially began as something great, before devolving into a dictatorship. Peace through tyranny.

The silent communications officer had decided this was what Megatron would have wanted him to do. Truth be told, Soundwave wanted to be neutral and allow Megatronus to chose his own path, but this situation did not logically call for that. Starscream would have chosen to twist him, preach of Decepticon ideals and turn his master back to the Decepticon cause, and more than likely Optimus Prime would unintentionally manipulate the gladiator. Thus, Soundwave would do the same based on what he found here, in this moment.

"Did you try to offline me at any other point in time?" Megatronus asked, each word weighted and calculatory.

Soundwave allowed for a pause, then shook his helm. It was the truth; after that day, Soundwave no longer attempted any more assassinations. Megatronus had swayed him, and not long after the mech's optics were further opened to Zeta Prime's treachery. He was not the one Soundwave thought him to be, and he took an oath of silence soon after. He would rather his actions speak than his words; because Zeta Prime and the rest of the council all spoke, but never acted. The mech would never allow himself to become associated with those kinds of politicians ever again.

Megatronus acted. That was he admired most about the gladiator.

Megatronus gazed at his victory, listening to the crowd roar its approval. "Show me the war," he finally requested. "Show me what happened."

And thus Soundwave did.

 _"Today is the day I stand before the Council," Megatron spoke proudly. "And I will emerge from it a Prime, victorious."_

 _Soundwave listened to Megatronus practice his speech, occasionally suggesting the lord change his tone and wording in some areas. He had an amazing grasp on politics and ideaology, though Soundwave had to credit such feats to Orion Pax. The archivist had become one of Megatron's closest allies as he shed his gladitorial persona and donned a more Iacon-appropriate political facade._

 _The speech was perfect, flawless. It was, instead, Megatron that was flawed. He became too bold in front of the Council, he forgot his place. The proud gladiator emerged and his true ideas and plans for Cybertron came to light, horrifying the Council as his frenzy of words threatened their annihilation. Not even the calm Orion Pax could stop Megatron's fervor, the mech looking on in horror as his friend changed before his very optics. A sickening mesh of gladiator and politician formed before them, an energonthirsty tyrant emerging and demanding the title he felt he deserved._

 _Megatron was denied._

 _Hundreds died that very same day. Overnight, the Decepticons had broken their restraint and followed their master into what would soon be a war. The massacre that sparked the destruction was merely foreshadowing to what would happen across the planet. Families were ripped apart by mentality first, physicality second. The planet was destroyed within a thousand years, but the war lasted for thousands longer. A scramble for the Matrix, the true determinant of a Prime, had begun. Hundreds fled as the energonshed came to a climax, until one day Orion Pax went missing._

 _Megatron demanded he be found, scoured the planet for him. Not long after, Orion Pax was declared dead, and the Autobots made a martyr of their fearless leader._

 _But that did not last long._

 _Optimus Prime emerged, the Matrix of Leadership fused with his very spark. Soundwave was the first to report it, but he was the very last to receive Megatron's rage. A whole squadron of Autobots fell under the enraged mech's servo. A scout was personally tortured and brutalized by the warlord before being left for dead. Optimus Prime had unleashed a dangerous, untamed side of Megatron that all who knew him only had an inkling it existed._

 _Finally, perhaps hundreds of years too late, a mass Exodus was declared. Autobots and Decepticons alike fled, searching for the other to tear apart, leaving a shadow of their former glory behind. The war had become intergalatic, no longer restrained to the confines of their home._

"Our home," Megatronus whispered, gazing upon the desolate planet from the window of the Nemesis. Soundwave allowed him to come to terms with what had happened. "I . . . I did this."

Soundwave jerked his helm. "No," he replied. " _We_ did this."

 **•** **•** **•**

Megatronus practically ripped the patch off himself once the process was over with, sitting up and venting heavily, pinching the bridge of faceplates between his optics. A small helmache had begun near the forefront of his processor, all of this almost too much to take in.

"Do you require rest, old friend?" Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, asked him in a gentle tone.

"No," the gladiator ex-vented, shaking his helm. "No, I have already made my decision."

Optimus' optics widened, even Ratchet and Shockwave seeming shocked by his insistence. "Are you certain? I believe it would be best if you understood my side - "

"No, Ori - Optimus," Megatronus grit his denta. "I have seen enough. I have _done_ enough. This war must end. My ideals, my goals, have changed drastically since the beginning, when I first pitted myself against all of Cybertron. We have fought for too long for this war to have any more justification; it is time we made our peace and begin to build once again."

There were long moments of silence as all parties involved soaked in this information, rather stunned by the ex-warlord's proclamation. Soundwave was most satisfied with his work, proud to see Megatronus return to his old ways. He would have never wanted the destruction of his kind, merely the overthrow of the corrupt system and equality given to all. Megatron, however, had wanted something different, had _morphed_ into something different. But now the two were separated into their respective entities, so much so that Megatronus' pride no longer interfered with his decision making as severely as it had before.

"I suspect you want to remain a part of that process," Ratchet spoke cynically. "Perhaps even declare yourself a leader or architect of that project?"

Megatronus gave the medic an unhappy look. "I wish to see our planet restored, and the Cybertronian race enter yet another Golden Age, this time leaving none behind in its progress. I would indeed like a guiding hand, but I will not declare myself master of this project. I understand, now, that I cannot do this alone." His blue optics focused on his Autobot friend. "I need help, council. I wish to build this new world with you, Orion."

Optimus Prime gave the gladiator a rare smile. "I would be more than honored to stand by you as we usher in a new Golden Age," he answered, turning to their silent companion. "Soundwave, if you could please begin monitoring the frequencies for any Autobots and Decepticons who wish to return home," Optimus looked back to Megatronus. "And with your permission, I will catch you up on everything that has happened since the Great Exodus."

Megatronus nodded. "Yes, please," he was curious as to what had happened, and how they both ended up on this organic planet - Earth, as they referred to it.

Soundwave left the room, leaving Shockwave to attend to the cortical psychic patch operation, Ratchet remaining in the background to ensure Optimus remained safe throughout the procedure. They would not yet inform the ship of their decision, though it was agreed that, regardless, they would begin re-Cyberforming Cybertron again whilst Megatronus was caught up with the war. Optimus hoped that the Decepticons would see the revival of their planet and think twice about complaining to "losing," but he suspected there would be a few protestors. The Prime tried to believe it would all work out for the best.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Humanity

**CHAPTER ELEVEN | HUMANITY**

* * *

 _ **"Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another."**_

 _ **~Carl Sagan, Cosmos**_

 **•** **•** **•**

When Ratchet went to check on June, for Jack's sake, he found her right where she said she would be - on the flight deck, next to the Predacon kennels. The femme was in her beast mode, curled up with her optics shuttered and chest rising and falling slowly, perhaps in deep recharge. He was only slightly surprised by this; Jack had mentioned his mother was having difficulties adjusting, perhaps even coming to terms with what had happened to her. This mode was probably the most comfortable and natural state for her at the moment. The medic was no psychiatrist, but he could try to help her.

"June?" He called quietly. The woman stirred and opened her optics, shifting and transforming into her bipedal mode.

"Ratchet," she smiled, albeit tiredly. "Jack send you my way?"

"Yes," He carried with him his medical kit, unsure if she would have been willing to sit in Knock Out's medical bay or if she preferred remaining outside. "Would you be comfortable with a physical check-up?"

"Sure," she gave her consent, rubbing her helm. "But I feel that my issues are more mental. It's . . . hard to explain."

"Well, you can do your best to come up with something while I give you a once-over," the doctor set down his kit and opened it up, grabbing several tools before approaching her. The procedure was very similar to that of a pediatrician or family physician, with him checking out her optics and audio receptors while also taking notes on her spark and ventilation habits. Her energon levels were well-maintained, as the matured body did not have to go through the reservation process.

June thought for a long time, trying to put what she was feeling into words. "I guess I'm . . . more confused than anything," she confessed. "It's like I have . . . three people in my head. Myself, Ripclaw, and some weird combination of the two."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Ripclaw?"

"The . . . previous owner," the femme cringed a little. "Humans have this theory, well, it's a little more than just a theory now, that our memories are imbedded directly into our DNA. Humans who have had organ or tissue transplants sometimes report feeling the same cravings or emotions that the donor had felt. I think with Ripclaw, it's the same thing. Her CNA contains memories of who she was before the Great Cataclysm; and I wouldn't say she is . . . fully present in my mind. Just a sensation." She shook her helm. "God, I sound insane."

"Actually, you are making quite a bit of sense," Ratchet tinkered a little with a tool, making sure it worked before he began to inspect her armor for wear or tear. "Predaking, I believe, had something similar."

She nodded slowly. "Yes . . . I remember him telling me something like that."

The Autobot medic vented slowly. "What do you remember from your time as a Predacon, June?"

Her optics looked towards the ground. "I remember all of it," she whispered. "From waking up to falling into the Omega Lock, I know it all. It's fuzzy, though. Do you think it has something to do with how they treated my memories?"

"Possibly," Ratchet agreed. "If your retrograde memory circuits were inhibited, then they may have affected how you formed anterograde memories as well. Is that part of the problem?"

June sighed. "I don't know," she was becoming increasingly frustrated with herself. "I just . . . please don't take this the wrong way, Ratchet, but . . . I can't _hate_ Megatron, or really Shockwave for that matter. I want to, but Ripclaw and the two of us together cannot seem to do it. I'm not feeling what I should be and it's driving me insane."

"That can happen, sometimes," Ratchet spoke calmly. "It's a phenomenon that happens a lot with 'bots captured and treated fairly during wartime. They find themselves sympathizing with their captors."

"But they aren't aware of it," June pointed out. "I am fully aware that I shouldn't feel this way. But I am. I feel like I am doing this against my will and I can't take it."

Ratchet allowed for there to be silence for a little while, trying to formulate his question in a manner that did not further upset the Predacon femme. "When you, ah, stood up for Megatronus on the bridge; was that voluntary?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "I just felt sick and tired of everyone - mostly Starscream - attacking him. I needed . . . I needed to _protect_ him."

The medic paused, cocking an optic ridge at her. He received a small glare in return, June not appreciating his probable judgement, though the medic was not intimidated. It was incredibly odd, though it explained June's behavior before she was aware of her human origins; every time Megatron was endangered she was immediately at his side, rescuing him and threatening to kill any 'bot that made an attempt on his life. She followed his orders to the T and appreciated the rewards he had showered her with when she had done a good job.

"I may have to talk with Shockwave," he replied slowly. "As I am unfamiliar with Predacon behaviors; but I would not be suprised, June, if you and Ripclaw are now, essentially, one and the same. Clearly, you are June Darby, and you will always be, but some aspects of the Predacon whose body you now inhabit will become integrated with you. Perhaps it is a part of Ripclaw which seeks to protect Megatronus?"

"Maybe," she shook her helm, letting out a frustrated vent. "I just want all of this to make sense."

"It will," he promised, though he was unsure if she believed him. "It may take some time, but you will get better, June."

 **•** **•** **•**

The amount of synthetic energon initially produced was enough to revive Cybertron's core. Once that was taken care of, and a healthy blue glow settled across the entire planet, the _Nemesis_ embarked on a journey around the planet, hovering over cities long destroyed by war and waiting patiently for Ratchet and Shockwave to combine their synthetic formulas together to mass-produce more energon.

During this time, Optimus Prime showed Megatronus the events which took place on Earth, the latter watching with both morbid fascination and debilitating guilt. Though he was not fond of organics, he certainly was aware they had no quarrel with this civil war, and yet Megatron had selfishly used them for his own devices.

Optimus made the decision to not reveal everything about the human experimentation to Megatronus, most notably the part where his spark shard resided in Jackson Darby, but he gave the gladiator a general idea of what had happened. It came as a bit of a shock to him when he realized four Cybertronians were not really such - and one in particular technically not even a Cybertronian at all - and as soon as their session had come to a close the mech requested he see the organics and their perspective of the war.

Jack was made aware of Optimus' decision to keep some information concealed first, and due to his inexperience with the cortical psychic patch he did not want to participate for fear of giving something away. Miko was more than willing, though it was also a concern that she would simply _overshare_ , a risk Optimus did not want to take. Rafael flat-out refused, still terrified of the gladiator. That left the decision up to June.

Megatronus was aware that they had a history. Firstly, they had spoken via "telephone" (whatever that meant), where he taunted and verbally abused her. Secondly, her capture, where he had faked her death and took her prisoner on the Nemsis, miraculously having not hurt her fragile organic body in the process. And finally, he had ordered Shockwave to transfer her mind into that of a Predacon, essentially forcing her to become his loyal beast.

All of this, naturally, was derived from the knowledge that Optimus Prime possessed, but the fine details could be filled in by the astute gladiator.

"He wishes to understand," Optimus spoke quietly to June, who was currently in the laboratory with them. Megatronus kept his distance, attempting to ignore the fact that the eldest male former-human was attempting to drill a hole into his helm with his gaze alone. "Megatronus wants to know what the war was like for you, a civilian and organic lifeform."

June crossed her arms, nervously shifting from pede to pede. "Is there . . . a risk, with the cortical psychic patch?" She asked, not quite sure herself what she was asking.

"Nothing will be tampered with," the Prime promised. June looked into his kind blue optics, chewing her bottom lip plate briefly before her shoulders unwound.

"Okay," she agreed, albeit with some reluctance. "What, exactly, is he wanting to see?"

"Any aspect of war you are willing to show him," Optimus gently helped her onto the slab, Megatronus moving slowly and in a non-threatening manner. It somewhat baffled her that the gladiator was so reserved, unlike his normally volatile self. The change was unexpected, but, she admitted, it was nice.

"I will do my best not to pry," the gladiator finally spoke to her. "Sometimes, memories may be shown against their will; if you show any signs of distress I will terminate the connection."

June felt an unfamiliar sense of relief. "Thank you," she whispered before lying down.

Jack stood close by, hovering protectively next to his mother while Optimus helped her plug into the cortical psychic patch, the mechling uneasy. For the sake of privacy the Autobot leader did not activate the typical videofeed that would pop up during a patch, and instead quietly announced he would be activating the device before doing so.

June closed her optics, and remembered.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Memories

**CHAPTER TWELVE | MEMORIES**

* * *

 ** _"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart."_**

 ** _~Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore_**

 **•** **•** **•**

 _Any aspect of war you are willing to show him._

War. There were many kinds of war that June Darby had experienced in her lifetime. There was, of course, the traditional kind of war, one which ripped fathers, brothers, and sons from their families and either returned them broken or dead. June, a female, was fortunate enough to never firsthand see this; but she feared one day that her son may be forced to. In an ironic twist of fate, they both ended up being a part of such warfare, but not between their own kind - no, between the Autobots and Decepticons, an alien race.

June Darby had known of a different war long before that, however.

 _"You may kiss the bride," were words that could not come soon enough, her arms wrapping around the neck of the one she loved dearly, sharing a kiss that sealed their fates. Until death did they part, the pair would love one another for many, many years to come._

 _When she became pregnant with Jack, they were overjoyed, ecstatic. A child to call their own, and hopefully one day the big brother of many more. Though they both worked, it was decided that June would take maternal leave and her husband would eventually quit. Her nursing job earned more than his desk job, thus it made financial sense. Everything was perfect._

 _Until something changed. It was not overnight, but it became progressively worse. As her baby bump grew, so did his anger, his impatience. The man she loved, a kind and gentle soul, suddenly could not hold his temper. He would become angry at the smallest of things, the most mundane of noises or gestures. He screamed at a clock once for ticking too loudly. In two months, the house became a warzone. June would leave for work, only to come back to find the house trashed, an appliance broken, or her beloved husband in the middle of one of his fits._

 _She hated going home. There was endless screaming, fighting. Her health dramatically declined, she became at risk for preeclampsia, and her coworkers began to whisper. They were concerned for her, yes, there was no malicious intent behind the rumors which spread, but rumors were rumors all the same. June just desperately wanted her husband back._

 _At month four of her pregnancy, she become sick. He did nothing to help her. A man that would have dropped everything at the mention of a sore throat now left her to lie in bed. He had since been fired from his job and no longer was employed. Their bank accounts were drained on meaningless things he would destroy in a fit of anger a week later. June ended up making a secret savings account just so she could survive. Her doctor warned her that she could be in the stages of eclampsia. She may need hospitalization._

"June," a voice, gentle and unsure, broke through the haze. "Are you . . . sure you want to show me this?"

 _Then he hit her. And it was over. She was gone the next day, quitting her job on the spot and escaping. The nurse drove to her parents house, almost two-hundred miles away in Jasper, Nevada. The long trip nearly cost her her life, and that of Jack's. But the woman was not about to give up. She would survive._

"I suppose . . . maybe," she replied, looking around as she was pulled from a direct, first-person view of the memory. Megatronus was standing with her, the two of them shockingly human-sized, standing in the hospital room together where her past self resided. "This is . . . war, though perhaps not the kind you were expecting."

He nodded, looking around, his expression forlorn. "I am sorry about your mate," he finally said. "I remember, from Optimus, speaking to you about him . . . I suppose if I had known -"

"That isn't the whole story," June took a long, deep ventilation. "Besides, if Megatron had known this information he would have tormented me for days about it. Better I pretend what he said was real than the actual truth."

 _The memory warped, and they were standing in a small house. Jack was sleeping in his crib, strikingly similar to his mother. June was on the phone, tears in her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably as she sat at the kitchen table. Her husband - who was still her husband, as he refused to sign any divorce papers she sent his way - had died from a massive seizure. The proceeding autopsy report indicated several masses in his body; the man had cancer. June was not just upset that he had died, she was upset because of a specific tumor, the one located on his amygdala._

 _The man she had fallen in love with had been inside all along, but it was the tumor in his brain that made him act the way he had. If she had just seen it, if she had just known that her husband could not have possibly been showing his true, aggressive colors, then he might have been saved. He never would have hit her. They would have been happy._

 _Jack was raised mostly by his grandparents, as June worked, and believed his father was nothing more than a low-life. June did not argue differently; she was too angry at herself to let Jack believe that she had let a good man die. No, better to think it was her husband that was the problem, not her._

Megatronus allowed for a long, soulful silence as the memory faded into oblivion, June standing at staring at the place her former self had been. He wanted to find some way to apologize, but what could he say? What could possibly numb the pain of realizing a loved one had slipped right through her digits?

Before much could be said, he was given another memory.

 _The human femme fought wars day in and day out, wars between life and death. Little children with scrapes and bruises, fixed with a simple bandaid, were the easiest battles to fight. Teenagers with their bones out of their body and organs spilling onto the table after a night of drinking were her hardest, especially once her own son became of that age._

 _"We're losing them," she hated those words, hated what would come after them. A long, dreadful drone of the heart monitor, frantic attempts to start a heart that had given up ages ago, and the looks she would receive on their parent's faces when they realized their child was not going home._

 _Every day was a new campaign, every case a different, compelling study. June was one of the lucky few who retained her warm heart even after it had been ripped out multiple times by the same people she was trying to save. The ER showed her every facet of the human being, every emotion that authors could only dream of knowing about. Death did not discriminate, nor did it care to announce its arrival._

Megatronus gazed across the expanse of the emergency room, observing gore and horror that few humans had the misfortune to see. While his time in the gladitorial pits certainly did not pale in comparison to this, it did bring new light to the trials and tribulations of a race he would have otherwise considered inferior.

He watched battle after battle in the ER, June weaving in and out of the picture as she did so, her memories flickering by at an impossible pace. While she won many battles, several - too many - were lost. Even with her best efforts, her sleepless nights, and multiple summonings of inner strength, sometimes the patient would just slip away.

The gladiator could not help but admire her grit and determination, even in the midst of battle fatigue. June was strong, and she was not one to back down from a fight; they had more in common than he originally would have guessed.

The memories eventually faded into the background once more, the death and destruction over with for now. Instead, a more happier, though still very much related, set of memories filtered in, ones that seemed to be a combination of the first two sets' tropes.

 _She gazed up at the Autobot leader, complete and utter admiration in her eyes. Optimus Prime was everything her loved one had been, perhaps even more. He was strong, kind, and gentle. He threw away his own work the moment an Autobot requested help; the Prime did not back down from a fight, especially one that threatened the life of his team. His compassion knew no bounds, even for that of the insignificant organics which lived on this planet._

 _June Darby fell, hard._

 _But many things kept her from foolishly giggling and chasing after Optimus like some kind of schoolgirl. Firstly was the obvious: they were two completely different species - at least, they had been. Secondly, she could tell the Prime put his work before anything else, and though his work was essentially bonding with his team, it was . . . different. He cared deeply for the Autobots, and made it his job to protect them. Optimus did not shy away from attachments, but he certainly shied away from any sort of romantic advances. That would have been too much._

"Orion was always a bit aloof," Megatronus rumbled quietly, slightly amused. "And a workaholic."

 _Over time, June's affections simpered down, and she was content to form some sort of loose, platonic friendship with the Prime. When they spoke to one another, it was cordial, and they always kept respectful distances, though Optimus may have done it so he did not accidentally squish her. They understood one another and respected how the other worked so hard to take care of their loved ones: Optimus, his team, and June, her son._

 _When Jack had been kidnapped by the Decepticons she was absolutely distraught, but Optimus was always there to maintain a steady presence. The Autobot team became dedicated to finding their human allies under the guidance of their leader, even after the trio was no longer such._

 _Then, June herself was kidnapped._

 _She remembered Megatron's warm, sharp claws wrapped around her body, his voice vibrating her bones as he told the Autobots they had exactly five minutes to either trade the "experiments" for June Darby, or watch the warlord walk off with his prize. His thumb had idly stroked and touched the back of her neck and head, the end twisting in her raven hair and somehow managing to not rip chunks out._

 _She had died._

 _Well, it felt like death. The searing heat of Megatron's blast stung her skin, but he somehow missed. She heard three more shots go off, each one closer than the last, until she felt her legs give out from under her and she was falling. Dizzy and disoriented, her back hit cold metal and she smacked her head, remembering nothing after that._

"So . . . that is how it happened," Megatronus spoke as darkness enveloped them again. "And our war . . . you were not a major player?"

"Not for a long time," June confirmed. "As a human, we didn't really get up close and personal voluntarily. Miko did, and she usually dragged Jack and Rafael into the mess, but I usually was at the base. Except for that one time." She laughed a little. "And of course, with my luck, that was the one time I was kidnapped."

Megatronus looked her up and down. "Then we experimented on you."

She nodded. "Yes; and that changed everything."

 _Warm claws closed around her like a cage, obscuring her view._

 _The dragon, wrapped around the room, waiting for something - or someone - to occupy its mind._

 _June's memory became distinctly warped after. The visions themselves were fine, but the language was garbled, unintelligble. All she knew was she was different, new._

 _Claws stroked beneath her chin, eliciting a pleased purr. This was when she first met_ Master _, when he was nothing more than an_ other. _He treated her differently than his other subordinates, but it was not detrimental to her._ Master _respected her, understood that she was different. He utilized her best assets and rewarded her with what she craved most: energon and affection._

 _She did not understand when she attacked her own son. All she was concerned with was protecting the one who meant most to her. Not even_ Creator _illicited the responses she gave to_ Master _. Something told her that the former was already, in a sense, "claimed" by Predaking. They were naturally closer, as Predaking spent most of his waking time with_ Creator _, so it made sense that June lacked the bond the older Predacon had with the scientist._

Master _seemed to understand this as well, for he visited her even when he did not need her. While Predaking roamed the halls in his bipedal mode,_ Master _would bring her energon and speak to her softly in his strange language. His servos would stroke her helm and underneath her chin, admiring her hide and occasionally observing her tail. These were the only times she would dare to push her helm against him, allowing him to access the normally protected points beneath her helm. The moments did not last long, as he would leave her mere minutes before Predaking would return._

 _She understood. Affection was a weakness._

Megatronus watched the exchanges with fascination. Megatron despised organics, so it would make sense that he had little regard for an experiment. Even though her human shell was destroyed, June still had remnants of herself; yet Megatron did not seem to view it as such. She was important to him.

"I don't know why," June was the one to speak this time. "But I cannot hate you - Megatron - for what you have done." Her servo touched the chestplate about her spark. "Ripclaw, the Predacon this body was cloned from, will not allow me. It tears me apart."

The gladiator gazed at her, looking across the expanse of the memory, watching with her as Megatron pet and rewarded her beast form. "I'm . . . sorry."

That earned him a bitter laugh from the femme. "I would accept it, but it feels wrong to make you apologize for something you can't remember doing. By some miracle, I did not hurt my son, or any of the Autobots. Had I done so I would not have been able to forgive myself. But . . . since nothing irreversible has been done by my hand, I am not angry."

Megatronus simply nodded, gazing at his servos. So much energon spilt by him, so much destruction that he did not think himself capable of. He had been consumed by hatred to the point where he knew no moral boundaries.

"Thank you," he said, "for allowing me to see what you have gone through. I know you do not hate me, but I also know you haven't forgiven me. And I can come to terms with that."

The woman smiled just a bit. "You're welcome. Perhaps with time, if you decide to not fall back on your old ways . . . we could be friends."

 _Friends_. Megatronus had known few, and it baffled him that she would suggest such a large step forward. Though, perhaps, it would be progressive. They certainly had some sort of odd dynamic between them, with her remembering him as something he was not, but he could see the two of them making amends over time.

"I look forward to such a notion," he offered a smile he hoped was inviting.

And then the two were enveloped in darkness.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Unbreakable

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN | UNBREAKABLE**

* * *

 _ **"A bond between souls is ancient - older than the planet."**_

 _ **~Dianna Hardy, The Witching Pen**_

 **•** **•** **•**

Ratchet approached Shockwave while they were working together to make sure everything about the synthetic energon was running smoothly, from its creation to its transference in the Omega Lock to the device's utilization of its unlimited power source.

"June is still having strange symptoms," he told the scientist, well aware any mentioning of the former humans would immediately draw his attention. "She is reporting an _unusual_ affiliation with your former master. _You_ wouldn't happen to have anything to do with it, would you?"

Shockwave looked genuinely surprised. "I fail to grasp your meaning. By what are you referring to as 'unusual affiliation'?"

"She cannot bring herself to blame you both for her misfortune, nor quash the protective feelings she has for Megatronus," Ratchet's voice was becoming increasingly bitter and sharp. If there was any manipulation on the Decepticon's part, he was having none of it. "She believes it is a part of Ripclaw, whose memories and instincts reside within her."

The silent response he received was frustrating, but Shockwave was merely thinking. "There is a theory," he stated slowly, "but I do not have enough sufficient information to make a firm statement. Lord Megatron was the first to make physical contact with June in her new body. This may have formed a subliminal bond between her and our master."

Ratchet did not like the supposed inclusion with our master, but there was something more pressing on his processor. "Are you saying she _imprinted_ on him?"

"That is the most logical explanation," Shockwave confirmed. "Some creatures use sight to imprint, Predacons may use touch. The process is also involuntary, and subconscious; this would account for why she does not understand her own feelings."

The Autobot medic pinched the area between his optics. "And there is nothing we can do to . . . sever it," he muttered. "Because it is not physical and too rooted in her psyche to be altered, correct?"

"Correct."

"Great," Ratchet muttered. " _Perfect_ , even. And how do you propose we break this information to her? It is just as bad as telling Megatronus that he shares half a spark bond with Jack!" The medic shook his helm. What were the odds that _both_ Darby members would have some sort of connection to the warlord? Perhaps it would in part explain why both were considered - by the Decepticons anyways - to be his most treasured possessions.

"Quietly, and with structure," Shockwave suggested, seeming to have all of the answers. "She should be informed first; should she wish to speak to Megatronus on the matter, it is up to her discretion."

Ratchet sighed. "I'm sure it will all go over well," he replied sourly.

 **•** **•** **•**

"And how are you adjusting, my liege?"

Megatronus turned to the voice, his blue optics briefly flickering up and down the sleek Seeker's frame. Optimus Prime did not have fond memories of this mech. And, if he recalled correctly, Soundwave did not either.

"I no longer answer to idolatry titles," the gladiator answered. "You may refer to me as just Megatronus. If I recall, your designation is Starscream, yes?"

The Seeker's wings stiffened in pride. "Yes, that is who I am," his red optics gleamed, "It is good to see your memory returning to you."

"My memory has _not_ returned," Megatronus growled softly. He was already annoyed with the pestering Vosnian. "I only borrow my knowledge from that of Soundwave and Optimus Prime. You were a _particularly_ treacherous first lieutenant, if I am to trust their judgement."

Starscream chuckled nervously, his wings flitting. "Ah, well, we certainly had our disagreements, and our differences. But that was how we worked best! We were catalysts for one another, sparks which kept us at our most alert! I served as a way for you to maintain your status as lord and master over the crew."

Megatronus tilted his helm, regarding the Decepticon with distrusting optics. "You have tracked me down for a reason, Starscream," he finally cut to the chase. "What is it?"

"I merely wanted to try and sway you on your decision," Starscream, shockingly, was speaking the truth. "I fear you do not hold the true knowledge of the Decepticon cause. We were a proud, ruthless faction, everything your gladitorial roots wanted us to be! And yet we no longer appeal to you, our founder? I believe you have been deceived."

"Ironic, coming from a _Decepticon_ ," Megatronus bared his sharp denta. "I have seen what I wanted to see, Starscream. And I will not plunge us into another civil war mere kliks after reviving our planet."

The Seeker looked genuinely disappointed, glaring at the gladiator as he turned his broad frame from him. "So, you renounce the Decepticon cause, then?"

Megatronus paused, his intuition warning him to be careful. "I renounce it all," he hissed, tilting his helm to look at Starscream. "The cause, the war, _all_ of it."

"Pity," Starscream locked his digit. "But I suppose that means the Decepticons fall under _my_ command!"

"Wha - " Megatronus was given no time to react as the second in command raised his arm, firing a missile directly into the mech's side. The impact sent the sterling titan flying, slamming into the side of the ship's hallway. A sizeable dent was left on the wall as the warlord slid down the side, his servo clutching his profusely leaking injury. Immediately his systems began a full shutdown, trying to stunt the free-flowing blue liquid which trickled between his digits.

Starscream tisked. "For such a renowned gladiator and warlord, you should know better than to turn your back on the enemy!" He raised his second arm, cocking his digit and preparing to fire the missile straight into Megatronus's face. "Your Autobot friends won't understand, but perhaps over time they will eventually thank me for bequeathing the punishment you fully deserve!"

The Seeker's small tangent cost him, an audio-receptor-grating noise filling the hall. At the end stood a large, and very angry Predacon femme, her chest glowing brightly before blasting fire directly at Starscream. The second-in-command shrieked in alarm, leaping out of the way and barely escaping a scorching.

June was upon Megatronus before Starscream had time to recover, growling and snarling at the latter mech, warning him to stay back. Her armor was completely bristled, claws scrapping into the floor and leaving dents as she shifted her pedes. Megatronus watched as her tail flicked back and forth in agitation, waves of heat rolling off her form. Starscream wisely did not try to engage, elliciting another angry screech from the Predacon as he transformed and took off down the halls.

For a brief moment June's chase instincts flared to life, Ripclaw urging her to hunt down the traitorous Seeker, but her logical human mind took priority on another matter. Transforming, she knelt down next to Megatronus and assessed his wound, pressing her servos against it.

"Primus," she whispered, blue optics wide. "We need to get Ratchet or Knock Out here immediately - " the femme paused when she looked up and saw Megatronus gazing at her with a mixture of awe and amusement. "What?"

"Every time I am in danger, you are not far behind," he smiled wryly. "Are you attempting to save me on purpose?"

She rolled her optics. "I saw Starscream slinking through the halls; I knew that couldn't be good. Besides . . . I can't help it," she confessed.

"By the Allspark!" Ratchet exclaimed, the medic at the end of the hall with a concerned Optimus, Miko, and Bulkhead.

"What'd she do, bite a chunk out of you?" Miko asked the gladiator, receiving an unamused look.

"Starscream," the gladiator grunted, "attempted to end my spark."

"How unfortunate," Ratchet said under his breath, quickly rushing over to assess the damage.

"We heard June scream and knew there had to be trouble," Bulkhead glared down the hall. "Permission to pursue Screamer and give him a piece of my mind, sir?"

"Me too!" Miko pounded her fists together.

Optimus turned his gaze to the two Wreckers. "Permission granted; but use as little force as possible to subdue Starscream. Place him in one of the holding cells once he has been detained."

"On it!" Miko took a running start with her partner, elegantly transforming into a Seeker before blasting off, Bulkhead hot on her tail. Ratchet quickly worked to stem the bleeding, Megatronus seething in pain but not protesting as the medic began to save his life.

Ratchet quickly put a digit to his audio receptor. "Knock Out, drop whatever you're doing now and bring medical supplies. Megatronus is bleeding out after a major energon line severage in his lower left abdominal quadrant."

 _"O-On my way!"_ Ratchet heard what sounded suspiciously like a buffer being dropped, the Decepticon CMO cutting the connection as he scrambled to gather his things and rush over.

"June, have you suffered any injuries?" Optimus Prime asked the Predacon.

She shook her helm. "No, I'm fine." Digits brushed the front of her throat. "Well . . . I suppose my throat burns slightly, but apparently that's normal - according to Ripclaw."

The Prime nodded. "If it is of no concern to you, we will not press," he said. He saw clear agitation in her movements while Ratchet attended to Megatronus' wounds, his spark softening for the femme. Ratchet had made him aware of her predicament, helping to explain her somewhat strange mannerisms and confusion. The medic had yet to disclose such information to her, but he certainly would not do it in front of the other half.

Tires squealing against metal announced Knock Out's presence, the flashy sports car transforming and the medical kit gracefully falling into his servo. He presented the case to Ratchet, who immediately opened it up and began grabbing the necessary tools, his primary servo transforming into his welder as he began working on the open wound.

Megatronus was beginning to lose consciousness as his systems shut down, shutting off energon flow to his extremeties and prioritizing around his spark and processor. June became more ruffled, her armor still flared and clawed pedes digging into the floor, subconscious gestures that revealed her inner turmoil. Ripclaw demanded to know why their appointed charge was suffering, their combined personality confused, uncertain why Master's health was worsening - the medic clearly was neglecting his duties!

"June," Optimus spoke softly again, her increased agitation becoming increasingly apparent. "Take a walk with me."

"I . . ." she automatically made to protest, but stopped, vocalizer freezing as she wondered why she cared so much. Not trusting her mouth she instead nodded, and followed the Prime down the hall while Ratchet and Knock Out worked on the unconscious Megatronus.

For a long time, Optimus said nothing for her, projecting an air of calm in his EM field to soothe her spark. Distance did not necessarily help her symptoms, in fact they seemed to worsen, but the former human was doing a suprisingly good job keeping to herself. The odd ticks all but disappeared, their ghosts occasionally slipping across her frame. It was not until they arrived a fair distance away from the crime scene that he spoke.

"I understand you are confused about your . . . feelings toward Megatronus," Optimus gazed at her, his optics kind and soft. "Shockwave has posited a theory which may explain such behaviors."

June looked up at him in surprise, a little hurt and concerned that Optimus knew about her inner turmoil. Ratchet certainly had told him, his betrayal not necessarily a shock but an unpleasant surprise. Shame settled over her frame; the last thing she would have wanted was _Optimus_ to know about this.

"Okay," she spoke slowly. "What is it? Why do I feel this way?"

Optimus took a long vent - _oh boy_. That certainly could not be good. "Shockwave believes that, while you were trapped in your Predacon state, you instinctually . . . imprinted on Megatron. You, in a more blunt sense, marked him as your territory. Due to this, you have developed an impulse to protect him, perhaps even display territorial rituals toward him."

The silence, and awkwardity of it all, flooded the hall in which they walked. June felt her processor reeling as it took in this new information; it made absolute sense, and Ripclaw seemed to agree, yet June wondered how she ought to feel about this. Again, she wanted to feel disgusted, or perhaps even some sense of emotional rejection, but her spark refused.

"Does he know?" She asked quietly, vocalizer barely able to enunciate past the shock.

Optimus shook his helm. "If Megatron knew of this, Megatronus no longer does. I felt you would prefer to tell him once you were aware of this development."

June stared down the hall, still putting the pieces together. "What kind of imprintation does Shockwave think it is? Like mother to son? Territory? Or . . . something else?" Ripclaw supplied the term _mates_ , but June felt the sudden urge to rip her vocalizer out before she put herself and Megatronus into such a concept.

"If I had to guess, I would certainly think it territorial," Optimus assured her. "Your Predacon instincts were . . . submissive, yet no inappropriate boundaries were crossed. He is simply, to you, a person you have chosen to be a part of your psychological pack."

Understanding what he meant, she allowed silence to settle again. After a moment of thinking, her mouthplates twitched a little, and a small laugh escaped her.

Her companion was puzzled by the tiny outburst. "Are you alright?" He asked.

June shook her helm a little. "I don't know," she admitted. "But, I doubt Jack will like hearing his mother has some weird, primal bond with the ex-leader of the Decepticons. He never did care for any sketchy, odd male interactions I've had in the past."

"He is protective of you, a mother and son bond with such properties is natural," Optimus assured. "We will do our best to help you - and him - understand. And should you wish Megatronus is made aware of this situation, we will help you break it to him as well."

The Predacon femme took a long vent. "Thank you, Optimus." She smiled, truly grateful. Her smile became a frown, however, when she realized that the object of their conversation was currently living on a thread. "Do you think . . . Megatronus was hurt beyond repair?"

Optimus shook his helm. "Ratchet has been giving me updates," he attested. "Megatronus has stabilized and is currently in Knock Out's medical bay, resting."

June let loose a breath she did not realize she had been holding. "Alright. Thank you," she repeated, now unsure what to do. Ripclaw wanted to really make sure Megatronus was okay, but truthfully June just wanted to back to the flight deck and absorb everything she had just been told in silence.

"Would you like to be escorted to him?" Optimus knew her too well.

Resisting what her instincts were telling her, June refused his offer. "No, I . . . I need some time to take this all in," she admitted. "If Jack needs me, I'll be on the flight deck."

If the Prime was concerned with her desire for seclusion, he did not reveal through actions or words. "I only ask that you remain safe," he told her.

June gave him only a small nod of confirmation before striking out on her own, listening for Starscream, Miko, or Bulkhead, but hearing nothing. Surely they had found and detained the traitorous Seeker by then. Quietly, she made her way out to the flight deck, enjoying the silence once more.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Decisions, Decisions

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN | DECISIONS, DECISIONS**

* * *

 _ **"Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful . . ."**_

 _ **~ José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love**_

 **•** **•** **•**

June woke up from her recharge to a servo on her snout.

Optics bursting to life, she flared her armor only for Jack to yelp in shock and stumble backwards, falling back on his butt.

"Whoa, whoa! Mom, it's just me!" He waved his arms, the child briefly terrified of her. The femme relaxed, transforming into her bipedal mode and scowling at the young man.

"You couldn't try to wake me?" She crossed her arms and cocked her hips, a move Jack knew all too well. His mother was preparing to thoroughly chew him out.

He stood up, instinctually placing a hand on the back of his helm. "I tried," he answered. "You were pretty out of it. Optimus said a lot was on your processor?"

 _Primus, do any of the Autobots keep any secrets?_ June thought bitterly, sighing. Optimus had probably only said such a thing when Jack inquired to where she was. He was her son, and he did worry. "I do. It's . . . complicated."

"Are you still 'confused?'" Jack looked incredibly worried at that. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know if _wrong_ is the right word for it," she admitted. "I . . . well, do you want me to break it to your gently or outright?"

Jack eyed her with suspicion, wondering why on Earth his mother - who rarely kept him out of the loop on things - would ask such a question. "Just tell me, mom."

When the femme took a vent he wondered if he had made the right decision. "When I was a Predacon, Megatron was the first to make physical contact with me. Optimus and Shockwave believe that is why I am now so . . . weird around Megatronus. They think I imprinted on him."

"Imprinted?!" Jack shrieked, several octaves higher than what his vocalizer should have allowed. "Like, Twilight imprinted? Or ducklings imprinted? Please tell me it's the latter, _please_."

"It's neither," June rolled her optics a little, "and don't you ever compare our . . . _thing_ to Twilight ever again. It's painful enough thinking about it in any other way. But, Optimus believes it is more territorial than anything else."

Jack let out a half-sigh, looking at his mother in disbelief. "So . . .?"

She shrugged at him, looking completely baffled. "So what? Nothing I can really do about it; I can ignore it sometimes, but other times . . . another part of me is constantly chasing the need to be around him, and protect him. I'm sure you heard about the Starscream incident?"

"Yes," Jack's optics brightened, becoming steely. "Are you alright? Ratchet said you were fine, but I know you can sometimes be . . . resistant to help."

June rolled her optics. "I truly am alright, Jack," she promised. "Aside from everything that has been going on, I've never been better. Now that I can make sense of why I'm feeling the way I do, I will give myself less headaches; and hopefully Ripclaw stops pestering me about checking up on him."

Her son raised an optic ridge. "Ripclaw?"

The femme nodded. "She is . . . My Predacon body. Another consciousness that is in my head, sort of. She isn't fully aware; it's more instinctual and sensations of thought rather than an actual, living creature."

"I see . . ." Jack furrowed his brow. "So she's the reason you can't _not_ protect Megatronus?"

June sighed. "Yes, but . . ." Her optics sparkled. "That doesn't mean I still can't protect and care about you."

Jack smiled just a bit. "I wondered if you were still worried about me," he teased a little, "I was afraid I had been replaced."

His mother rolled her optics again. "Don't underestimate your importance to me; you are my son. Besides, I chose to like you, not him. You should feel extra special."

"Do I ever," he chuckled. "How are your energon levels? Do you need to refuel?"

June thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. I would like that."

"Come on, I need some too." Jack smiled up at his mother. "I don't think you'll be opposed to energon - it's all vegan, naturally."

"Excellent," June laughed, genuinely, perhaps for the first time. "Lead the way."

 **•** **•** **•**

Starscream was put into custody rather quickly, the Decepticon surrendering with surprising and yet unnerving ease. While everyone suspected the mech had sinister intentions, Optimus wanted to believe that he was as sick of the war as they were, the Seeker just unable to let go of his pride.

As the planet began to heal Autobots and Decepticons alike flocked back to their home, tensions high yet peace seemed imminent. It helped that most cities were still designated "Autobot" or "Decepticon" metropolis, and for now that seemed to be the best way to keep every one settled in. Iacon became neutral territory for both sides to interact and mingle with one another, a government slowly but surely being formed over time.

During this change, the former humans had to come up with a decision. They could remain on Cybertron with their Autobot (and some Decepticon) friends, but it would be at the expense of their families. Rafael quickly opted to return to Earth, Ratchet and Shovel deciding to do the same. The old and weathered medic felt his skills - though not diplomatic in nature - were better suited on the primitive planet, where his servos could finally rest and he could work in relative peace. Shovel accompanied him because the Vehicon could not seem to part with the Autobot he had become so fervently attached to.

Miko, on the other hand, decided she would much rather stay on Cybertron. Bulkhead was there, and the Spacebridge made it easy should she wish to visit her family in Tokyo. The girl was no stranger to studying abroad, and to her this was just another extended trip. Besides, she had planned on settling somewhere other than Japan, and though another planet entirely had not been on her initial agenda, it was what she wanted.

Jack was torn. He wanted to return to Earth, finish his education there, go to college, be human again, but such a thing would not be possible in the long run. He would need a job, he wanted a family, but his alien form would not allow it. The constant need for energon and the fact that his holomatter avatar was nothing but solid light made several things impossible.

And his mother . . .

June, perhaps, was more torn than her son. Earth had been her home for over thirty years, and yet she too could not return to the life she once had. She figured she could become comfortable on Cybertron, given time, however Jack's reluctance to join her worried her. To make matters worse, she knew for a fact Megatronus would remain on this planet, and if she was away for too long Ripclaw would drive her insane.

She had to choose between her son, whom she loved dearly, and a mass murderer her instincts would not let her release.

It did not escape any knowledgeable 'bot's attention what her predicament was. Rafael, Ratchet, and Shovel had already returned to Earth, and there were many moments on the Nemesis when June and Jack would argue with one another.

 _"I get it, mom. You have to choose: me or him. And I know who you're going to pick, because of what you are."_

June buried her face in her servos, her backstruts against the wall of her former kennel as she sat there. Jack was becoming increasingly frustrated with her; he wanted to return to Earth with his mother, but the possibility of doing so was shrinking by the day. Megatronus had long left the ship, and she thought his absence would eventually allow her to trump Ripclaw's begging. But it instead made things much, much worse.

 _"I'm trying, Jack! I'm trying to be your mother. But I . . . I can't just ignore this. I can't pretend it doesn't exist because it does. It's a part of me."_

 _"Then maybe you should just kiss me goodbye right now and go running to your_ master _!"_

Energon leaked from the corner of her optics. She _hated_ fighting with Jack, because they would say things to one another they would most certainly regret later. It broke her heart every time they would quarrel; to lose her son would be to lose everything she had. Yes, June was proud of her ability to stay strong, be independent, but she realized she would be nothing without her son. He was the only family she had left.

And he was slipping from her fingers.

Jack's hate was not directed toward her because of her. He was angry at Megatron, Shockwave, and the Predacon within his mother. At the same time, he could not quite grasp that his mother could not just abandon what was now a fundamental part of her psyche. To lose Megatronus would drive her just as insane as if she lost Jack.

Her sensitive audio receptors picked up the doors to the flight deck opening, but the woman did not stir. Heavy footsteps clicked against the metal, footsteps her and Ripclaw knew so well.

An unwanted thrill ran down her back struts as Megatronus rounded the corner, quietly walking past her before he too leaned against the wall and slid down. She wondered why he was seeking her out - he had business on Kaon.

"I'm sorry," he broke the silence he had allowed to permeate for a few moments between them. "Jack . . . Made me aware of what I . . . Megatron, had done to you."

June finally found the courage to look him in the optics, realizing with a start the mech had a fresh dent on the side of his cheek. Ripclaw flared a little, demanding to know who had done this, but June immediately quashed and numbed the feeling.

"What do you mean?" She asked, realizing she was still crying a little and wiping her tears away. She knew _exactly_ what he meant, but the femme wanted to hear him say it.

Megatronus took a deep breath. "I somehow activated a bond between us," he was carefully dancing around several choice words. "And, essentially, forced you to . . . _Desire_ to protect and have an attachment to me. I do feel guilty, June, despite what you or others may think. I have put you in a terrible predicament."

The Predacon femme dropped her gaze to her servos. "Not like it can be fixed," she murmured bitterly. "Or broken. I just . . . Need time to sort out my thoughts, and I'm sure going to Earth will help."

"Yet you have not gone."

June felt anger flare in her spark; not necessarily because of what he said, but because he was _right_. And she knew exactly why. Going to Earth, being away from Megatronus, would be too much. Her thoughts would never sort themselves out as long as Ripclaw pestered and worried over her companion; it would be like an anxiety, leaving June sleepless and breathless 24/7 until she either took sedatives or returned to Megatronus' side. Even now, and she despised the feeling, his presence alone was soothing her spark.

"I can't," her voice broke as truth, painful though it was, came out. "Because I can't be without _you_."

Megatronus looked at her, shocked. The torment in her voice told him all he needed to know about her struggle and personal opinion on the matter. If she could, she would leave with Jack without a second thought. But the body he had so selfishly placed her in was preventing her from doing just that.

There was a long silence after her proclamation, in which the gladiator attempted to come up with something to say or do. Finally, metal clinked against metal as he moved his arm, and gently placed his servo against her shoulder.

"I am sorry," he said again. "Is there . . . anything I can do to help, to alleviate your pain?"

June wanted to hit him, and then herself. _I don't know._ That was the only answer she could seem to come up with nowadays. _I don't know._ _Ripclaw barely knows. Together we somehow understand and know even less._

"If there was, I would tell you," she replied bitterly. "But I am in the dark . . . about everything. Even things about myself that I wish I knew. This body was not meant for a human mind. It wasn't meant to handle complex feelings and emotions; and it's glaringly obvious now."

He listened quietly, letting her vent her frustrations without fear of judgement, the gladiator well aware of inner turmoil and struggling. Though June was not alone, her situation was unique and needed its own special attention. Her face returned to her servos as a small helmache formed between her optics. The femme did not know how many more mental circles her processor could take before it overheated and imploded on itself.

"I understand you wish to be with your son, your maternal instincts are every bit as natural now as they were before," the gladiator spoke slowly. "I am also aware Jack wishes to return to Earth, to continue his life as a human until it is no longer possible. But I ask you, June, what is it that _you_ want? Not Ripclaw, not what you believe is morally right, but what _you_ would chose if you had nothing to pick between except for Earth and Cybertron."

June looked through the slits of her digits, staring at the grey floor at her pedes. If she eliminated all other variables, ignored Ripclaw, her motherly instincts - both of which were incredibly hard to ignore - and only selfishly thought about herself, where would she go?

The answer was obvious, for several reasons.

"Cybertron," she answered. "It's where this body belongs; it's where _I_ belong now. Both planets suffer no gains or losses no matter which one I chose anyways. And I would never be able to just . . . _pretend_ to be human. I don't have the capacity for it."

Megatronus nodded quietly, gently squeezing her shoulder before letting her go and standing up. "I think, that, if you made such a case to your son, he would understand. He would not be happy, but you cannot allow yourself to think of others in situations like this, June. Sometimes, as much as it kills you, you must be selfish."

She shook her helm. "I . . . I can't . . ."

"Don't do it for me," he answered. "Do not _ever_ do anything for me again, June. You deserve a life not governed by something outside of your control; and if Cybertron is the best place for that, then so be it."

He left her, then, the femme returning to a silent staredown with the wall, processing what she had just been told. It seemed so easy, despite both parts of her still screaming at the tops of their lungs, begging to be recognized, tearing her spark apart in anguish. But Megatronus had given her an excuse, a reason to part with Jack. As much as it killed her, it was a logical decision, and perhaps the easiest. They had already known that, eventually, Jack would set out on his own; go to college, get a job, visit his mother every once in a while.

Yes, she would be a planet away, but the Spacebridge technology, and the long-range communications networks that had been revived along with the planet, could keep them in touch.

 _Be selfish._

June stood up, dusting herself off unnecessarily. Sighing softly, she steeled herself and went to find Jack. They needed to have a family meeting.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Cybertron

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN | CYBERTRON**

 _ **"Thriving. That's fighting . . . Surviving is barely getting by."**_

 _ **~Jillian Michaels**_

 **•** **•** **•**

June did not try to kid herself the first night she spent on Cybertron's surface. Even though each member of Team Prime offered she stay in their hab-suites, there was only one mech Ripclaw would allow for her to cohabitate with in peace. Megatronus was, at first, insistent she take the recharge table until the femme switched to her beast mode and curled up on his living room floor, shamelessly tucking her snout against her tail and offlining her optics.

Though he was a little off-put by the display and a bit wary of the fact that there was a Predacon blocking his front door, Megatronus was also relieved by that as well. Yes, he would be extraordinarily ticked if any 'bot tried to harm June to get to him, but the femme was resilient and not so easily put down. And if she was hurt, well, then he had every excuse to lay waste to the one who crossed him.

For obvious reasons, June did not share the details of her cohabitation with Jack. Though they had left with a hug - and kiss on the cheek from her - goodbye, it was bittersweet. He was still angry that she had seemingly chose Megatronus over him, despite insisting that he look at the "facts." Yes, a Predacon would not bode well on Earth, as she would never be able to leave the base due to an improper disguise, but if she had truly wanted it she could have coped. But, for once, June decided to be selfish.

It ate at her spark day in and day out, however they messaged each other regularly, and that put her at ease. Over time, Jack would settle down, perhaps even come back, and then they could live a semi-normal life together again.

During the first few weeks on Cybertron June was content to explore the planet herself. Knock Out assisted with the removal of her Predacon emblems to keep curious optics - and dangerous ones - from watching her, and the medic even did slight cosmetic alterations to make her appearance less "beastly." To anybot that did not know any better, or looked too hard, they could not tell her body hailed from ancient history.

As a self-proclaimed neutral she could easily travel from sector to sector without too much hassle from Autobot and Decepticon Cybertronians alike, finding it was rather easy to make friends from both sides than she imagined. Only once was she mistaken for a naive, ignorant neutral.

"Cowards, the whole lot of them," a mech snarled to his companion, the pair leaning against the wall outside of what looked suspiciously like a bar. He held a small cube of energon - Wheeljack had told her it was Engex, similar to alcohol - in his servo, though by the looks of it the mech had already drank more than enough. "While we fought in the war, died for our freedom, they scattered like turbofoxes and sought refuge amongst the stars! And now they come back, as if they are welcome here?"

His companion scoffed. "We 'ought to kick 'em off to the colony worlds," he agreed. "Can't live here if they didn't try to die here."

June made an attempt to brush by them, not at all surprised when her frame caught their attention. Her size - which was particularly unusual for a femme - and build was a dead giveaway that she was not a typical Cybertronian. Even after a few weeks it did not take long for her to notice the subtle differences of a mech and femme, "Cybertronian" and someone from a colony world such as Velocitron. She stood out because she was none of those things; walking like a human in a frame from eons past. It was subtle, and hardly anyone gave her a second glance.

"Hey!"

She stopped right as a glob of engex landed in front of her pedes, pausing and glancing at the mechs that called for her attention. Blue optics hued with green spun and clicked as they focused, her expression not amused. Something told her they were not catcalling, but still asking for plenty of trouble.

"Think you can come around here and act like you helped build this?" The first mech gestured around with his engex, moving off of the wall. "I see you, neutral. Walking like you have any business earning a hero's welcome."

He spat again, his dialect slurred. June could understand him perfectly, having downloaded all common forms of Cybertronian before daring to venture out onto this planet. Scanning him up and down, she decided he was not a threat.

"If you're done, I'd like to keep going," she replied, her odd inflection instantly betraying the foreigness of the language on her glossa. It only made the mech dislike her more, glowering.

"Not yet," he snarled. "I've had it up to here with your kind, swaggering through the streets of my city as if you deserve any part of this new world! I had comrades die on the battlefield, sparks that I will never see again! And yet you have the _audacity_ to act as if it was for nothing. You neutrals are nothing but useles fodder, and it's about time we put you in your place!"

The punch was predictable, and June had plenty of experience with drunk or otherwise tanked patients to know exactly what to expect. Though the mech was shorter by about a foot he was a bit bulkier, probably weighing about the same. He clearly had more muscle, but June had the strength of a literal dragon within her.

She caught the fist effortlessly, shoving him back and watching him stumble into the wall. Her frame flushed as the commotion caused a noticeable silence on the street, energon rushing to her digits and cheeks in embarrassment.

"You know, it is rather rude to hit a femme in some cultures," a voice drawled.

Surprised, June turned to see Knock Out casually striding over. If Cybertronians had pockets his servos would have been in them, slinking over like a lazy cat.

"Is he bothering you? Blackout can be such a brute," the Decepticon medic waved a servo toward the other Decepticon. "It would be best if you left her alone."

"I thought you of all mechs would have something against the neutrals," Blackout stood himself up, snapping, "considering you and your _conjunx endura_ fought in the war together, instead of slipping off-world to be a safe happy family. I noticed you came home without him - another casualty of war?"

"Him?" June raised an optic ridge, looking toward Knock Out.

The medic's face had slipped from its usual smirk to a cold, hard glare. "I would chose your next words _very_ carefully," he warned, switching to the Decepticon dialect effortlessly, the extra growls and flares of static causing chills to creep across June's frame, "because despite my reputation, I am _very_ much capable of performing surgery in even the dirtiest of places; such as this street, for instance."

Blackout laughed, the sound violent and harsh. "Come on, let's see if you're good at anything other than being slow."

"Knock Out!" June lunged just as he did, grabbing the snarling Decepticon and hauling him back before he could give Blackout an excuse to send him to the ground. "He isn't worth it, and he's drunk. Just walk away."

"Let me go!" He clawed at her arms. "Drunk or not, he is _mine!"_

June tried to keep him under control while Blackout roared with laughter in the background, the Predacon femme growling and becoming even more embarassed as he made a scene. A small part of her whispered to just let him go and get the beating he was surely going to get, but something quickly changed her mind.

"Look at that, the neutral doing what she does best: walking away," Blackout mocked. "Not gonna fight me, and not gonna let anyone else fight. Peace-keeping _deserter_."

Something finally snapped. June was not sure what it was; if it was the final words, the fact that she realized Knock Out was fighting a broken spark, or if was the smell of the engex that made her tanks roll and anger shoot up her energon lines. The nurse had always considered herself a calm and collected individual; the closest she had come to lashing out was when Jack had - unsuccessfully - tried out for the football team, only to get smacked and pushed around by Vince. He had gone into the field beaming, excited to make his mother proud, only to come out with tears in his eyes and cuts on his arms and legs. He had adamantly stated that he hated football, but June always saw when he would pretend to play in their backyard, clutching a ball and commentating to himself. She had wanted to teach Vince and his bullies a lesson.

It happened so fast she did not realize what had happened until it was finished. Shoving Knock Out aside she whirled with amazing speed, her fist colliding with Blackout's faceplates and sending him flying into his jeering companion. With a horrendous clap of metal-on-metal the pair toppled to the ground, June gritting her denta.

"Let's go," she snapped to Knock Out, angry at them and herself, gripping the medic and dragging him away.

"If you were gonna do that, you should have let me at them!" He whined, stumbling to keep up with her long strides. "And watch your grip! This paint isn't exactly cheap!"

Letting him go the femme took a long ex-vent. "Sorry," it was hardly genuine, "I just reacted without thinking. Next time I'll let you scuff your paintjob over a pair of drunks."

Knock Out brushed imaginary dust off of his arm plating, huffing. "As if you would understand," he muttered, matching her long strides with ease, having had plenty of practice due to being on the smaller end of the Cybertronian spectrum.

 _His conjunx endura,_ June had read about those when learning a bit more about the customs and relationships of the Cybertronian race. Family units were very similar to that of human's, though unsurprisingly with different names. And fairly gender-neutral, much to her surprise. Team Prime had never mentioned the fact that any of the Decepticons had a significant other, or family, but she supposed the topic never came up.

"You would be surprised," she looked down at him, noticing the usually chirpy or suave Decepticon was glaring at the space in front of him, his plating bristled and EM field pulsing irregularly. "I had to raise Jack by myself after . . . his father - sire - was . . . gone."

"But did he _die?"_ Knock Out snapped.

"Yes," she said flatly, not bothering to mask the deep wave of sorrow in her EM field, noticing Knock Out's fluctuate in surprise. "He did. And I think about that every day."

The pair walked the street in silence for a long time, weaving through Cybertronians and allowing the city life to wash over them. June did not really absorb anything, lost in her own thoughts.

"Was he killed? Or was it natural?" The medic prompted.

"I would consider it both," June answered, her tone indicating this was a subject they were only allowed to spend a limited time on. "Cancer killed him. It's a human disease." Her optics fluttered over to him, warning him that the question was coming before she vocalized it. "Who was your conjunx? How did sh - he die?"

Knock Out allowed a mask of indifference to settle over his frame. "You never did meet him, but I am fairly certain at least one of you humans encountered him during your little jaunts. His designation was Breakdown - my medical assistant." He waved a servo. "He never was good at speed, in fact he was hardly considered a Velocitronian for most of his beginning years. Too slow. But did he have an _optic_ for detail. I hired him as a part of my cosmetic clinic when I saw what he could do. The brute eventually grew on me - and we had been inseparable ever since. Key word being had. I do miss the way he made my finish shine."

The praise and awe in his voice was obvious, June smiling just a little in sadness. He tried to be indifferent, as something like romance was most certainly frowned upon by the Decepticons - but she could see it, plain as day.

"I guess we both have something in common," she suggested, "aside from medical expertise, that is."

"Who would have thought," the medic's ego returned, his faceplates upturned in a snarky grin. "A fleshling and a Velocitronian, having correspondance."

June chuckled softly, the sound rumbling in her chest. Indeed. Who could have known?


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Penultimate

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN | PENULTIMATE**

* * *

 _ **"Perhaps fate brought us together,**_

 _ **And the incidents in between made us close,**_

 _ **Falling in love was a simple choice,**_

 _ **But breaking my heart, that was yours."**_

 _ **~Tannaz Sayadi, Write like no one is reading 2**_

 **•** **•** **•**

As she traversed Cybertorn, June learned a variety of cultural practices and customs from those willing to befriend her. It was much like Earth, she realized, though Cybertron seemed a bit more cohesive; everyone knew at least the Common language of the time, if they were not also profiecient at the language adopted by their affiliation. Cultures varied according to either the colony planets from whence they immigrated or the ancient beliefs passed from generation to generation within the families; and yet every basic, foundational doctrine was pretty much the exact same.

Megatronus was more than willing to answer her questions if she had any, occasionally referencing her to research materials she would possibly find interesting. During those kinds of days the mech normally came home to the femme with her faceplates inches from the screen, absorbing all sorts of interesting information. Her desire to learn was rather surprising, as he assumed she would be content merely knowing only what she truly needed to know.

The pair only interacted with one another when he returned from Kaon to recharge, occasionally gone for several days at a time as he guided construction and set about creating a new world order with Optimus Prime and other duly appointed Council members. They planned to unite the two capitals - Iacon and Kaon - under one name, and create a large, intricate city where all Cybertronians did not have to fear persecution or shattered peace. June thought it was rather ambitious, and the gladiator agreed that it would take lots of time, but he was confident that everyone could agree that the war was over, and they no longer would fight.

"Decepticons," Megatronus stood in Kaon's city center, standing on a temporary stage as he addressed the crowd that had gathered to hear him sepak. "Autobots, neutrals, and everyone in between. I stand before you on the precipice of a new era, one that promises to bring about the greatness I had envisioned a millenia ago. No longer do we require violent anarchy to accomplish our goals - the False Prime was usurped long before this war ceased, and has been replaced with one pure of spark: Optimus Prime. Many of you know him as the great Autobot leader, and I am sure some even dared to call him a friend. We have made our peace, and with the help of this new Prime we will bring about the change that was meant to encompass Cybertron. The ideals of the functionalist tyrants and caste dictators will not be tolerated by either of us, and I implore you hold the same mindset."

June listened quitely in the crowd, standing amongst some of the taller mechs to blend in. Megatronus had mentioned that he was giving a speech in Kaon, on the same day that the Decepticon cause rose from the ashes of the Golden Age and tore the planet in two. Though it had not been verablized, June knew she was being invited to such an event - though he almost seemed embarrassed to tell her about it. She wondered if it was stage fright, despite the fact that the great Champion of Kaon hardly seemed the type to be intimidated by anything.

He spoke boldly and proudly, gesturing heavily with his clawed servos. It was frighteningly easy to see how he could have convinced half a population to turn against their friends and family: his vocabulary was impressive, and his thoughts well articulated. Even June was finding herself convinced to accept this new peace despite being a part of the instigation.

"No longer will we be divided by factions, build, or birth," Megatronus slammed his fist on his hand, the clap of noise thundering across the crowd. "We will be united under one name: Cybertron!"

The crowd roared their appreciation, raising their fists in mirror with that of the Decepticon leader. June smiled softly, giving a few quiet claps to demonstrate her own agreement. Something pinged in the back of her head, tanks halting as instinct told her there was a problem - a threat.

Then, Megatronus was very nearly assassinated.

Her audio receptors were much more sensitive than that of the average Cybertronian's, picking up on the soft hum of a cannon charging in her vicinity. Her HUD directed her toward a femme in the crowd, her expression screwed up in one of hate. She had not come with noble intentions. It was a split second, but June quickly took in the fact that the femme had a full charge, and her current perch left only one target: Megatronus' helm.

An inhuman and un-Cybertronian shriek escaped June's vocalizer, the femme leaping toward the other as the crowd froze, Megatronus' brief pause of shock giving his assassin the perfect opportunity. Her cannon discharged right as June's much larger frame slammed into her, knocking it off course just enough.

The full charge still packed a massive punch as it grazed Megatronus' shoulder plating, searing across the thin metal surrounding the joint and frying several wires. The gladiator stumbled back, instinct telling him to slip to the ground in an attempt to make a smaller target, gripping his shoulder. His optics focused on the crowd as it expanded exponentially, Cybertronian's stumbling out of the way as they beheld a beast that had been driven to extinction long before the first sparks were ever forged.

June screeched at the femme pinned beneath her clawed paw. Her talons dug into the soft metal of Cybertron's "dirt," growling when the terrified femme twisted and thrashed, her optics wide with fear.

"P-Please," she whimpered. "Please no . . ."

 _Kill her._

June's grip tightened on her fragile frame, tail whipping back and forth behind her in agitation. Fire brewed in her chest in preparation for ending a threat. The panicked crowd was drowned out, tunnel vision focusing on the prey beneath her.

 _She tried to kill_ Master. _Kill her._

The Predacon femme paused, shaking her helm and destroying the thought. She would never, in her right mind -

"June," Megatronus rasped, snapping her attention to him. He had since stood up, though was hunched over in pain. Energon leaked from his wound and snaked between his digits before dripping to the floor, the scent hitting her like a brick wall. Jerked back into reality she transformed back into her bipedal mode, quickly backing away from the would-be assassin. Though Ripclaw yearned for her blood, June managed to reason with the beast.

The crowd's gaze made her frame prickle, her optics stuck to the floor as she quickly made her way over to the injured Megatronus, pausing when she realized he probably would not appreciate help. It was a weakness, after all.

Soundwave seemed to materialize out of nowhere, assessing his leader and friend before looking toward June. A brief moment of confusion clouded her processor before she felt like an idiot.

 _I'm a nurse. Duh._

Hurrying over, she tried her best to recall the protocol for a burn victim and apply it to wounds on living metal. Part of the energon line had been cauterized, but the little that had not was leaking profusely. Frayed wires sparked as well, June looking at Soundwave.

"We need to get him to a medic. We have time, but we have to get this energon line closed and joint re-wired if he wants to use it properly again."

Soundwave nodded, glancing at the assassin as she gained her bearings again and slipped into the crowd. Deciding he would deal with her later, he sent Ratchet a comlink, June giving him a thorough overview of the damage sustained.

Once again Ripclaw and June were at war with one another, the dragon wanting to go after the perpetrator but June afraid of what she would do if she did catch the femme. She was a nurse - not a murderer, and certainly not one to thirst for vengeance. Instead, she stayed at Megatronus' side while others dealt with the crowd, Ratchet grumbling when he finally managed to get through the onlookers.

"Vultures, all of them," he huffed, and began to do his job.

From then on, wherever Megatronus was, June also followed. It was annoying at first to him, because he did not like the idea of a shadow, despite the fact that Soundwave also insisted on being present as well. Naturally, as these things do, her presence spawned rumors that swept through Decepticon and Autobot ranks like wildfire, several speculating her origin - as she was most certainly a Predacon and her name was obviously foreign - and her connection with Megatronus.

June opted to ignore the rumors, listening in on proposals and speeches, finding that she was intruiged by Cybertronian politics, though most of the bodies present thought otherwise. She dared not to speak or try to participate, as she realized her presence was mostly unwanted; she was a bit of an uninvited guest. Some made a point of implying that she was perhaps a mindless beast; which she quickly disproved by speaking directly to them and demonstrating her sentience and intelligence.

Contrary to what most would believe, especially with her constantly tagging along, the Predacon and gladiator did not get sick of one another. June found Megatronus to be rather pleasant when he was not in the throes of politics or sating his itch to fight in the new Kaon arena. The fights were brutal, but they were no longer to the death - as a celebration and testament to the dawning of a new age Megatronus and Optimus Prime even indulged the crowd by pitting themselves against one another. June refused any invitation to fight, finding that, while she willingly did it to keep those she cared about safe, she lacked the taste for the sport.

The mech had a soft spark that had been misplaced by tragedy and oppression, healing slowly thanks to his own efforts and the efforts of those around him. He only snapped after a particularly rough day, but a cube of energon and long recharge mended that problem easily. Megatronus also found comfort in the knowledge that at least one Cybertronian truly cared about him, even if it was initially against her will. Though he told June that, should she ever feel the need to, it would not hurt his feelings if she decided to strike out on her own, truth be told he did not know if he could manage to not worry about her, or miss her companionship.

It took a few more weeks before June relaxed her metaphorical grip on the ex-warlord, and they returned to what they had been doing before - he left for politics, she explored the planet. It was extremely noticeable that something had changed, however; Megatronus found that he would immediately seek her out if he came home and she was not in his immediate line of sight, and June would eagerly stop what she was doing to greet him when he returned. They _missed_ one another.

The dynamics of the planet were changing, molding into something better than even what the Golden Age had possessed. And it seemed the citizens were becoming something new, something greater, as well.


	18. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

 ** _"A man is like a novel: until the very last page you don't know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn't even be worth reading."_**

 ** _~ Yevgeny Zamyatin, We_**

 **•** **•** **•**

"Mom . . . I know I said I would be good when you decided to try dating again, but -"

"Jack," June rolled her optics, putting her servos on her hips. "It is _not_ a date. It is _far_ from a date."

Her son raised an optic ridge. "He asked you to be his companion for the return of the Allspark."

"That everyone on the planet, including yourself, is going to," June pointed out, her mouth quirking up in a bit of a knowing grin. "Which you are attending with Miko. Should _I_ be concerned, Jack?"

"Miko and I are good friends," he argued in return, energon rushing to his helm in embarrassment. "You and Megatronus . . ."

"Are good friends," June quipped. "So, I do believe that is a checkmate."

Jack sighed, finally conceding and allowing his mother to win. About a month into the new age June had finally let Jack in the loop. The mechling was initially unhappy - understandably so - about his mother's arrangement, but he did finally warm up to it. It helped that June and Megatronus were not _truly_ in a relationship; he had no idea how he would feel if his mother had begun dating the universe's most dangerous mass murderer. It also took some time for Megatronus to, in a sense, get used to Jack when the young man would visit, but they ended up becoming rather good acquaintances. They had similar ideas and tastes, which was both unnerving and surprising.

Ratchet had also assisted in the removal of Megatronus' spark piece within Jack, the gladiator getting his piece back whilst Jack received one from Arcee. Though the new connection was initially uncomfortable for the Autobot and her partner, it only strengthened their relationship and put Arcee at a little more ease; now she could keep tabs on her charge at all times.

"Are you ready to go?" His mother pulled him from his reverie. "I'm sure Miko is ready to self-destruct waiting for you."

"And I'm sure Megatronus is gonna kill a 'bot if you don't arrive on time," Jack snarked back, not malicious but reminding his mother that two could certainly play at that game.

June just smiled a little, chuckling softly before she and Jack left the cafe, the pair having decided it was their favorite restaurant within Iacon. Taking a transporter, they quickly traveled to the Well of the Allspark, where a sizeable crowd had already gathered.

"Hey, slowpoke!" Miko was almost immediately upon them, punching Jack in the shoulder. "I was wondering if you were ever gonna show!"

"It's called taking our time and enjoying the moment, Miko," Jack muttered, but he was glad to see her. The young man had missed his friend.

"Come on, Optimus is giving us front row seats. Even the Rafman and old Docbot came along for the show!" Miko eagerly started tugging him into the crowd, hardly apologizing as she pushed past Autobots and Decepticons, eventually the Cybertronians getting smart enough to move out of her way.

June felt optics on her and she looked up, seeing Megatronus standing at the elevated edge of the Well with Optimus Prime, his blue optics gazing at her with a rare smile. She could not help but smile in return, quietly snaking her way through the crowd. To her surprise it almost immediately parted for her, realizing that Megatronus had stepped down to help her, easily carving a path and allowing her to go to him. A little embarrassed by the attention but doing her best to ignore it, she walked towards him.

"I thought you would be a little more agitated," Megatronus grinned ever so slightly. "Given the large crowd."

"Don't give Ripclaw any ideas," June muttered, but she was still smiling. She hesitated when he offered her a servo, remembering her conversation with Jack. Though she did not want to give him more ammunition, she supposed his interactions with Miko would be enough to counter his teasing. Taking the mech's servo, she followed him up onto the platform, where Optimus greeted her.

It seemed that all of Cybertron was watching, with cameras spiraling around the Well for those who remained at home, some focusing on the trapped energy within a container - the Allspark, ready for release into the planet's core.

"Cybertronians," Optimus announced the moment the agreed start time came to pass. "Be you Autobot, Decepticon, neutral, or perhaps something else, today marks the day our planet no longer may be barren. By the power vested in me, given to my frame by the Matrix of Leadership, I will release our Allspark into the core, return it to its home, and give life to our planet once more. Megatronus, I ask that you assist me in this endeavor."

The gladiator nodded, approaching the container with his long time enemy - and friend. "I would be more than honored to facilitate this new era with you."

Together, with little ceremony other than the opening of the container, both mechs carefully extracted the Allspark. Its warm energy washed across the crowd as they beheld the supernatural entity, Optimus and Megatronus allowing for a few moments of hesitation before casting it into the Well.

They waited for a minute, then two, Miko ready to announce the anticlimaticacy of it all when a burst of colors erupted from the Well, sparks of Cybertronians long past dancing across the sky, weaving between loved ones and carressing those they had left behind, coating Cybertron in a warm, beautiful glow. The planet blossomed once more with life, pulsing and vibrating quietly as the spark of Primus became alive once more. The cheer from the crowd very nearly offlined June's audio receptors.

Miko gripped Jack in a tight, bone-crushing hug as the intoxicating joy swept across the planet. Hugs were exchanged between even the coldest of Cybertronian's, sparks alive with the happiness that had once made the Golden Age thrive.

June gasped in surprise when a broad arm wrapped around her body and hugged her against a strong frame, stiffening as she twisted her helm to see who it was.

Realizing his mistake Megatronus almost immediately let her go, the mech apologizing quietly and avoiding her gaze. She could have sworn his cheeks glowed blue with an embarrassed blush, even he affected by the infectious happy nature of the crowd.

 _This is a new day. A new start. A new life._

Megatronus jolted a little when his brief gesture of affection was returned, taking a half-step back to regain his balance while June carefully draped her arms around his shoulder spikes, their similar sizes making it easy for her to do so. After taking a klik to recover the mech returned his arms around her, a rare smile of happiness gracing his faceplates again. Though they had gotten off to a rough start, his relationship with the femme had smoothed out and their friendship had grown, blossomed, becoming something neither of them could live without.

It was, they could agree, an astounding transformation.

 **•** **•** **•**

 **Another one finished!**

 **I actually had a lot of fun with this work - June Darby isn't the focal point of many fanfictions, and so to write things from her perspective was refreshing and something new. I originally didn't plan for Megatronus, but he came around in the story anyways, and he too was a lot of fun. I need to play around with that character more often.**

 **Honestly the ending wasn't exactly what I wanted/planned, but after reading it a million times I thought "eh, don't know how to really change it, so I'll publish it." It's not a bad ending, it's just not what I truly liked.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supported me through this work, and was patient as I had a crappy and weird uploading schedule! I'm not really working on anything big at the moment, so you can expect a bit of a dry spell from me. I am starting school again, so perhaps that will pump up my creativity (or drag it down). You guys are awesome, and I love reading your comments.**

 **Other than that . . . I really have nothing else to say. Short A/N for a short work, eh?**

 **~Fanfic_Fanatic13**


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